Thursday, January 31, 2008
Montreal police hit Guy Lafleur with arrest warrant - NHL - Yahoo! Sports
Montreal police hit Guy Lafleur with arrest warrant - NHL - Yahoo! Sports
January 30, 2008
MONTREAL (AP) -- Montreal police have issued an arrest warrant former hockey star Guy Lafleur, accused of giving contradictory evidence as a witness at his son's bail hearing.
Lafleur's lawyer, Jean-Pierre Rancourt, says the former Montreal Canadiens great will turn himself over to police Friday morning.
Mark Lafleur, 23, faces more than 20 criminal charges, including sexually assaulting a minor, armed assault, uttering threats and forcible confinement between 2004 and 2007.
A Quebec judge said the elder Lafleur testified before a court in November that his son was abiding by a court-ordered curfew while he was staying with his parents. But Lafleur later admitted he drove his son to hotels to spend nights with his teenage girlfriend.
January 30, 2008
MONTREAL (AP) -- Montreal police have issued an arrest warrant former hockey star Guy Lafleur, accused of giving contradictory evidence as a witness at his son's bail hearing.
Lafleur's lawyer, Jean-Pierre Rancourt, says the former Montreal Canadiens great will turn himself over to police Friday morning.
Mark Lafleur, 23, faces more than 20 criminal charges, including sexually assaulting a minor, armed assault, uttering threats and forcible confinement between 2004 and 2007.
A Quebec judge said the elder Lafleur testified before a court in November that his son was abiding by a court-ordered curfew while he was staying with his parents. But Lafleur later admitted he drove his son to hotels to spend nights with his teenage girlfriend.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
NHL.com - 2008 NHL All-Star Game
NHL.com - 2008 NHL All-Star Game
Hometown delivery by Perreault
Randy Schultz NHL.com correspondent
Jan 15, 2008, 10:44 AM EST
Gilbert Perreault played in nine All-Star Games throughout his 17-season career.Throughout his 17-season NHL career, Gilbert Perreault played in nine NHL All-Star Games. While all were memorable to the Hall of Fame center, there is one that sticks out above the others.
“The 1978 All-Star Game that was held in Buffalo was very special to me,” recalled Perreault, who spent his entire pro hockey career with the Buffalo Sabres. “When you are selected to play in an All-Star Game, it is always a great honor.
“But the one in 1978 was different for me. It was in Buffalo, where I played. It was held in Memorial Auditorium in front of all those Buffalo hockey fans.”
Perreault was joined for that 31st NHL All-Star Game by future Hall of Famers such as Yvan Cournoyer, Marcel Dionne, Ken Dryden, Bob Gainey, Guy Lafleur, Lanny McDonald, Darryl Sittler, Bill Barber, Mike Bossy, Phil Esposito and Dennis Potvin, among others.
Perreault remembered the pregame introduction of the players in front of the sellout crowd of 16,433.
“When they introduce the lineups of both teams, they always save the players from the city the game is being played in until last,” stated Perreault, a native of Victoriaville, Quebec. “That year they saved the final introductions for Rick Martin and myself.
“Rick was introduced just before me. He got quite an ovation, as I expected he would.
“Then I could barely hear my name as I was introduced. As I skated on the ice the ovation was overwhelming.
“It was so loud and long.”
Jan. 24, 1978 marks the only time Buffalo has hosted the NHL All-Star Game. And the city rolled out the red carpet.
At the official League dinner, held the night before the game, two top performers at the time, singer Anne Murray and comedian Norm Crosby, entertained.
“The city of Buffalo really did a nice job hosting the event,” said Perreault, who skated for the Wales Conference squad.
“Buffalo is a great hockey town and an event like this proved it.”
The Campbell Conference held a slim 2-1 lead late into the third period, although the Wales Conference had dominated play throughout the contest and eventually out-shot them for the game, 40-12.
With just 1:39 left in regulation, Martin scored to tie the game. For the first time in NHL history, an All-Star Game went into sudden-death overtime. Sabres fans were ecstatic.
It set the stage for a dramatic Hollywood-like finish to the game. With just 3:55 gone in overtime, Perreault skated down the ice, around the Campbell goal, and attempted to send a pass to linemate Steve Shutt in front of the net.
Perreault was shocked by what happened next.
“I was actually heading into the corner with the puck and just wanted to throw a pass out in front of the net for a deflection,” stated Perreault, now 57. “Instead the puck hit a skate of one of the players from the other team and deflected into the net (past Campbell goalie Wayne Stephenson of the Philadelphia Flyers) for a goal.
“I was surprised as anybody in the building when the puck went in. The goal was a lucky one.”
Perreault was equally surprised when the Most Valuable Player of the game was announced moments later.
“I was a bit surprised when we heard that Billy Smith won it for the losing team,” said Perreault, who was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990 and has his No. 11 retired the same year by the Sabres. “Usually the MVP is somebody from the winning team.”
It should be noted that Smith had blanked the Wales Conference in goal for the first 30 minutes of the contest.
Like many others associated with that game, Perreault finds it hard to believe 30 years have passed since that All-Star Game was played in Buffalo.
“I have always said that it is a shame that Buffalo has never hosted another All-Star Game,” said Perreault, who today works part-time for the Sabres as a corporate and community relations liaison. “It is truly sad because Buffalo is such a great hockey city.
“Look at the job they did for the NHL Winter Classic that was held on New Year’s Day. They drew over 71,000 fans to Ralph Wilson Stadium and another 11,000 to HSBC Arena where they watched the game on the big screen.
“They did a great job. They have set the standard for all other NHL cities to follow.
“That’s why I think Buffalo could host another All-Star Game.”
Does Perreault have any mementos from the 1978 classic?
“I’ve got my sweater, that’s about all,” said Perreault. “I don’t have the puck. I don’t know what happened to that.”
Three decades later, Perreault still holds the '78 All-Star Game high on his list of memories.
“You just wanted to play well in front of your home fans,” he said. “And the fact that Rick and I were playing in front of Sabre fans was special to us.
“It was nice the way things ended for us in the game, with Rick and I scoring goals. It is something I’ll never forget.”
Hometown delivery by Perreault
Randy Schultz NHL.com correspondent
Jan 15, 2008, 10:44 AM EST
Gilbert Perreault played in nine All-Star Games throughout his 17-season career.Throughout his 17-season NHL career, Gilbert Perreault played in nine NHL All-Star Games. While all were memorable to the Hall of Fame center, there is one that sticks out above the others.
“The 1978 All-Star Game that was held in Buffalo was very special to me,” recalled Perreault, who spent his entire pro hockey career with the Buffalo Sabres. “When you are selected to play in an All-Star Game, it is always a great honor.
“But the one in 1978 was different for me. It was in Buffalo, where I played. It was held in Memorial Auditorium in front of all those Buffalo hockey fans.”
Perreault was joined for that 31st NHL All-Star Game by future Hall of Famers such as Yvan Cournoyer, Marcel Dionne, Ken Dryden, Bob Gainey, Guy Lafleur, Lanny McDonald, Darryl Sittler, Bill Barber, Mike Bossy, Phil Esposito and Dennis Potvin, among others.
Perreault remembered the pregame introduction of the players in front of the sellout crowd of 16,433.
“When they introduce the lineups of both teams, they always save the players from the city the game is being played in until last,” stated Perreault, a native of Victoriaville, Quebec. “That year they saved the final introductions for Rick Martin and myself.
“Rick was introduced just before me. He got quite an ovation, as I expected he would.
“Then I could barely hear my name as I was introduced. As I skated on the ice the ovation was overwhelming.
“It was so loud and long.”
Jan. 24, 1978 marks the only time Buffalo has hosted the NHL All-Star Game. And the city rolled out the red carpet.
At the official League dinner, held the night before the game, two top performers at the time, singer Anne Murray and comedian Norm Crosby, entertained.
“The city of Buffalo really did a nice job hosting the event,” said Perreault, who skated for the Wales Conference squad.
“Buffalo is a great hockey town and an event like this proved it.”
The Campbell Conference held a slim 2-1 lead late into the third period, although the Wales Conference had dominated play throughout the contest and eventually out-shot them for the game, 40-12.
With just 1:39 left in regulation, Martin scored to tie the game. For the first time in NHL history, an All-Star Game went into sudden-death overtime. Sabres fans were ecstatic.
It set the stage for a dramatic Hollywood-like finish to the game. With just 3:55 gone in overtime, Perreault skated down the ice, around the Campbell goal, and attempted to send a pass to linemate Steve Shutt in front of the net.
Perreault was shocked by what happened next.
“I was actually heading into the corner with the puck and just wanted to throw a pass out in front of the net for a deflection,” stated Perreault, now 57. “Instead the puck hit a skate of one of the players from the other team and deflected into the net (past Campbell goalie Wayne Stephenson of the Philadelphia Flyers) for a goal.
“I was surprised as anybody in the building when the puck went in. The goal was a lucky one.”
Perreault was equally surprised when the Most Valuable Player of the game was announced moments later.
“I was a bit surprised when we heard that Billy Smith won it for the losing team,” said Perreault, who was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990 and has his No. 11 retired the same year by the Sabres. “Usually the MVP is somebody from the winning team.”
It should be noted that Smith had blanked the Wales Conference in goal for the first 30 minutes of the contest.
Like many others associated with that game, Perreault finds it hard to believe 30 years have passed since that All-Star Game was played in Buffalo.
“I have always said that it is a shame that Buffalo has never hosted another All-Star Game,” said Perreault, who today works part-time for the Sabres as a corporate and community relations liaison. “It is truly sad because Buffalo is such a great hockey city.
“Look at the job they did for the NHL Winter Classic that was held on New Year’s Day. They drew over 71,000 fans to Ralph Wilson Stadium and another 11,000 to HSBC Arena where they watched the game on the big screen.
“They did a great job. They have set the standard for all other NHL cities to follow.
“That’s why I think Buffalo could host another All-Star Game.”
Does Perreault have any mementos from the 1978 classic?
“I’ve got my sweater, that’s about all,” said Perreault. “I don’t have the puck. I don’t know what happened to that.”
Three decades later, Perreault still holds the '78 All-Star Game high on his list of memories.
“You just wanted to play well in front of your home fans,” he said. “And the fact that Rick and I were playing in front of Sabre fans was special to us.
“It was nice the way things ended for us in the game, with Rick and I scoring goals. It is something I’ll never forget.”
Monday, January 14, 2008
Diana's mother called her a whore: court - Yahoo! News
Diana's mother called her a whore: court - Yahoo! News
By Paul Majendie Mon Jan 14, 12:18 PM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - Princess Diana's former butler told the inquest into her death on Monday that her mother had called her a whore for dating Muslim men.
Paul Burrell said Diana broke off relations with her mother, Frances Shand Kydd, after she had "expressed herself in extremely forceful terms about Diana's consorts, especially if they were Muslim."
Burrell, revealing the contents of a call Diana asked him to listen into, said Shand Kydd, who died in 2004, "called the Princess a whore and she said that she was messing around with f-ing Muslim men and she was disgraceful and said some very nasty things."
Diana was killed in a high-speed Paris car crash in August 1997 with her lover Dodi al-Fayed. She had previously had a relationship with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan.
Burrell has written two books about his time as the princess's butler and his memoirs have been serialized extensively in the tabloid press.
Speaking to a packed court, Burrell said he was convinced Britain's Royal family did not plot to kill her, an accusation leveled at the House of Windsor by Dodi's father, Harrods department store owner Mohamed al-Fayed.
He said Diana had been considering "a private marriage" to Khan before they broke up and disputed claims she was getting engaged to Dodi al-Fayed.
Dodi's father alleges that Dodi and Diana were killed by British security services on the orders of Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth's husband and Diana's former father-in-law.
Fayed believes her killing was ordered because the royal family did not want the mother of the future king having a child with his son. He alleges that Diana's body was embalmed to cover up evidence she was expecting a baby.
But in extensive testimony to the inquest into Dodi and Diana's deaths, the butler who has described himself as "Diana's rock" consistently refuted all conspiracy theories.
Asked about accusations that her father-in-law could have plotted Diana's death, Burrell told the court: "Prince Philip is not a nasty man."
"The princess was the mother of his grandchildren. Why would he want to harm her? It's not possible."
Asked about letters between Philip and Diana when her marriage to Prince Charles was crumbling, Burrell said: "Prince Philip is not known for diplomacy but he certainly wouldn't have written nasty notes to the princess. He was fond of the princess."
HEART SPECIALIST
A handwritten note from Diana was produced in court in which she expressed fears that heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles was "planning an accident in my car, brake failure and serious head injury."
Burrell said: "I don't believe that Prince Charles was capable of murdering the princess."
Asked if Diana had contemplated marriage to Hasnat Khan, Burrell said: "Yes, she did."
"She asked me if it was possible to arrange a private marriage between her and Hasnat Khan," Burrell said. He approached a Roman Catholic priest in London about the possible arrangements.
But Diana's affair with Khan ended with the surgeon unable to cope with the possibility of living under a remorseless media spotlight with the world's most photographed woman.
Asked about her summer romance with Dodi al-Fayed, Burrell said: "I think the princess was still burning a candle for Mr Khan."
"The princess said he (Khan) was her soul mate. This was the man she loved more than any other," Burrell told the court.
Burrell said Dodi had given Diana a gold Bulgari ring -- but it was a friendship ring and not an engagement ring.
Asked if he thought the couple had engagement plans, Burrell said: "I find that difficult to believe. This was only a 30-day relationship and the princess had just finished a long-term relationship with someone she cared very deeply about."
(Editing by Giles Elgood)
By Paul Majendie Mon Jan 14, 12:18 PM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - Princess Diana's former butler told the inquest into her death on Monday that her mother had called her a whore for dating Muslim men.
Paul Burrell said Diana broke off relations with her mother, Frances Shand Kydd, after she had "expressed herself in extremely forceful terms about Diana's consorts, especially if they were Muslim."
Burrell, revealing the contents of a call Diana asked him to listen into, said Shand Kydd, who died in 2004, "called the Princess a whore and she said that she was messing around with f-ing Muslim men and she was disgraceful and said some very nasty things."
Diana was killed in a high-speed Paris car crash in August 1997 with her lover Dodi al-Fayed. She had previously had a relationship with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan.
Burrell has written two books about his time as the princess's butler and his memoirs have been serialized extensively in the tabloid press.
Speaking to a packed court, Burrell said he was convinced Britain's Royal family did not plot to kill her, an accusation leveled at the House of Windsor by Dodi's father, Harrods department store owner Mohamed al-Fayed.
He said Diana had been considering "a private marriage" to Khan before they broke up and disputed claims she was getting engaged to Dodi al-Fayed.
Dodi's father alleges that Dodi and Diana were killed by British security services on the orders of Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth's husband and Diana's former father-in-law.
Fayed believes her killing was ordered because the royal family did not want the mother of the future king having a child with his son. He alleges that Diana's body was embalmed to cover up evidence she was expecting a baby.
But in extensive testimony to the inquest into Dodi and Diana's deaths, the butler who has described himself as "Diana's rock" consistently refuted all conspiracy theories.
Asked about accusations that her father-in-law could have plotted Diana's death, Burrell told the court: "Prince Philip is not a nasty man."
"The princess was the mother of his grandchildren. Why would he want to harm her? It's not possible."
Asked about letters between Philip and Diana when her marriage to Prince Charles was crumbling, Burrell said: "Prince Philip is not known for diplomacy but he certainly wouldn't have written nasty notes to the princess. He was fond of the princess."
HEART SPECIALIST
A handwritten note from Diana was produced in court in which she expressed fears that heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles was "planning an accident in my car, brake failure and serious head injury."
Burrell said: "I don't believe that Prince Charles was capable of murdering the princess."
Asked if Diana had contemplated marriage to Hasnat Khan, Burrell said: "Yes, she did."
"She asked me if it was possible to arrange a private marriage between her and Hasnat Khan," Burrell said. He approached a Roman Catholic priest in London about the possible arrangements.
But Diana's affair with Khan ended with the surgeon unable to cope with the possibility of living under a remorseless media spotlight with the world's most photographed woman.
Asked about her summer romance with Dodi al-Fayed, Burrell said: "I think the princess was still burning a candle for Mr Khan."
"The princess said he (Khan) was her soul mate. This was the man she loved more than any other," Burrell told the court.
Burrell said Dodi had given Diana a gold Bulgari ring -- but it was a friendship ring and not an engagement ring.
Asked if he thought the couple had engagement plans, Burrell said: "I find that difficult to believe. This was only a 30-day relationship and the princess had just finished a long-term relationship with someone she cared very deeply about."
(Editing by Giles Elgood)
Friday, January 11, 2008
FOXNews.com - Carpool Lane Driver Fined After 'Dummy Passenger' Slides From Police Sight - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News
FOXNews.com - Carpool Lane Driver Fined After 'Dummy Passenger' Slides From Police Sight - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News
KENT, Wash. — The solo driver attempting to use the carpool lane had worked hard to fashion a realistic "dummy" passenger but failed to secure his mannequin with a seat belt to make sure it was visible to state troopers.
FNC
Jan. 10: A photo of the dummy police found the carpool lane driver's car
That led to a $124 fine.
A State Patrol trooper stopped the man early Wednesday for traveling alone in the carpool lane of State Route 167. Only once the car was stopped did the trooper see the elaborately dressed mannequin, which had slumped forward in the rear passenger seat because it was not belted in and thus was not visible to the trooper as the car rolled by.
The dummy sported a denim jacket, hooded sweatshirt and glasses. The driver had also painted on bright blue eyes and a heavy black beard.
"This guy, he went to great extremes," State Patrol spokesman Trooper Jeff Merrill said.
The 41-year-old driver was cited for a high occupancy lane violation.
Unrepentant, the driver told the trooper that next time he'd prop the mannequin in the front passenger seat and remember to belt it in, Merrill said.
"It's not a crime to have" the dummy, the State Patrol spokesman said. "But if you use it to cheat, then you're gonna get a ticket."
The traffic stop and the mannequin drew gawkers and that led to a two-car fender bender. No one was hurt.
'Priest' Arrested With 7.7 lbs of coke - Yahoo! News
'Priest' Arrested With 7.7 lbs of coke - Yahoo! News
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - A man claiming to be a Catholic priest was arrested Friday at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport after he was caught carrying 7.7 pounds of cocaine under his robes, a spokesman for Dutch border police said
The suspect, whose identity was being traced, initially refused to undergo a routine body check "for religious reasons," spokesman Robert van Kapel said.
He said the man was then spotted lining up at a different entrance gate. He was searched and the drugs were found in packages taped to his body.
"We've seen a lot of things, baseballs filled with cocaine, wine bottles, plaster casts, but this is a first," Van Kapel said.
He said the man, who was traveling from Bolivia, continued to insist he is a priest and did not confess any wrongdoing, arguing his rights had been violated by the search.
Van Kapel said that was bunk.
"If you want to enter (Europe) you have to pass a security check, you have to cooperate and you can't refuse a body search," he said. "He'll be brought before a judge today."
A WIFES REQUEST
A WIFE'S REQUEST
I was sitting alone in one of those loud, casual steak houses that you find all over the country. You know the type--a bucket of peanuts on every table, shells littering the floor, and a bunch of perky college kids racing around with long neck beers and sizzling platters.
Taking a sip of my iced tea, I studied the crowd over the rim of my glass. My gaze lingered on a group enjoying their meal. They wore no uniform to identify their branch of service, but they were definitely "military:" clean shaven, cropped haircut, and that "squared away" look that comes with pride.
Smiling sadly, I glanced across my table to the empty seat where my husband usually sat. It had only been a few months since we sat in this very booth, talking about his upcoming deployment to the Middle East That was when he made me promise to get a sitter for the kids, come back to this restaurant once a month and treat myself to a nice steak. In turn he would treasure the thought of me being here, thinking about him until he returned home.
I fingered the little flag pin I constantly wear and wondered where he was at this very moment. Was he safe and warm? Was his cold any better? Were my letters getting through to him?
As I pondered these thoughts, high pitched female voices from the next booth broke into my thoughts. "I don't know what Bush is thinking about. Invading Iraq . You'd think that man would learn from his old man's mistakes. Good Lord. What an idiot! I can't believe he is even in office. You do know, he stole the election."
I cut into my steak and tried to ignore them as they began an endless tirade running down our president.
I thought about the last night I spent with my husband, as he prepared to deploy. He had just returned from getting his smallpox and anthrax shots. The image of him standing in our kitchen packing his gas mask still gives me chills.
Once again the women's voices invaded my thoughts.
"It's all about oil, you know. Our soldiers will go in and rape and steal all the oil they can in the name of 'freedom'. Hmmm! I wonder how many innocent people they'll kill without giving it a thought. It's pure greed, you know."
My chest tightened as I stared at my wedding ring. I could still see how handsome my husband looked in his "mess dress" the day he slipped it on my finger I wondered what he was wearing now. Probably his desert uniform, affectionately dubbed "coffee stains" with a heavy bulletproof vest over it.
"You know, we should just leave Iraq alone. I don't think they are hiding any weapons. In fact, I bet it's all a big act just to increase the president's popularity. That's all it is, padding the military budget at the expense of our social security and education. And, you know what else? We're just asking for another 9-11. I can't say when it happens again that we didn't deserve it."
Their words brought to mind the war protesters I had watched gathering outside our base. Did no one even appreciate the sacrifice of brave men and women, who leave their homes and family to ensure our freedom? Do they even know what "freedom" is?
I glanced at the table where the young men were sitting, and saw their courageous faces change. They had stopped eating and looked at each other dejectedly, listening to the women talking.
"Well, I, for one, think it's just deplorable to invade Iraq , and I am certainly sick of our tax dollars going to train professional baby-killers we call a military."
Professional baby-killers. I thought about what a wonderful father my husband is, and of how long it would be before he would see our children again.
That's it! Indignation rose up inside me. Norma lly reserved, pride in my husband gave me a brassy boldness I never realized I had. Tonight one voice will answer on behalf of our military, and let her pride in our troops be known.
Sliding out of my booth, I walked around to the adjoining booth and placed my hands flat on their table. Lowering myself to eye level with them, smiling I said, "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. You see, I'm sitting here trying to enjoy my dinner alone. And, do you know why? Because my husband, whom I love with all my heart, is halfway around the world defending your right to say rotten things about him."
"Yes, you have the right to your opinion, and what you think is none of my business. However, what you say in public is something else, and I will not sit by and listen to you ridicule MY country, MY president, MY husband, and all the other fine American men and women who put their lives on the line, just so you can have the "freedom" to complain. Freedom is an expensive commodity, ladies. Don't let your actions cheapen it."
I must have been louder than I meant to be, because the manager came over to inquire if everything was all right
"Yes, thank you," I replied.
Then, turning back to the women, I said, "Enjoy the rest of your meal."
As I returned to my booth applause broke out. I was embarrassed for making a scene, and went back to my half eaten steak. The women picked up their check and scurried away.
After finishing my meal, and while waiting for my check, the manager returned with a huge apple cobbler ala mode. "Compliments of those soldiers," he said. He also smiled and said the ladies tried to pay for my dinner, but that another couple had beaten them to it.
When I asked who, the manager said they had already left, but that the gentleman was a veteran, and wanted to take care of the wife of "one of our boys."
With a lump in my throat, I gratefully turned to the soldiers and thanked them for the cobbler. Grinning from ear to ear, they came over and surrounded the booth.
"We just wanted to thank you, ma'am. You know we can't get into confrontations with civilians, so we appreciate what you did."
As I drove home, for the first time since my husband's deployment, I didn't feel quite so alone. My heart was filled with the warmth of the other diners who stopped by my table, to relate how they, too, were proud of my husband, and would keep him in their prayers.
I knew their flags would fly a little higher the next day. Perhaps they would look for more tangible ways to show their pride in our country, and the military that protect her. And maybe, just maybe, the two women who were railing against our country would pause for a minute to appreciate all the freedom America offers, and the price it pays to maintain its freedom.
As for me, I have learned that one voice CAN make a difference.
Maybe the next time protesters gather outside the gates of the base where I live, I will proudly stand on the opposite side with a sign of my own. It will simply say, "Thank You!"
To those who fought for our nation, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.
GOD BLESS AMERICA !
Please pray for God's protection of our troops and HIS wisdom for their commanders. Pass this on to as many as you think will respond.
"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior."
When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our ground, air and navy personnel in every area of the middle east.
There is nothing attached....
This can be very powerful.
Just send this to all the people in your address book.
Do not stop this prayer chain, please.... Of all the gifts you could give to anyone in the US Military, be it Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines or National Guard, prayer is the very best one....Amen.
GOD BLESS AMERICA
I was sitting alone in one of those loud, casual steak houses that you find all over the country. You know the type--a bucket of peanuts on every table, shells littering the floor, and a bunch of perky college kids racing around with long neck beers and sizzling platters.
Taking a sip of my iced tea, I studied the crowd over the rim of my glass. My gaze lingered on a group enjoying their meal. They wore no uniform to identify their branch of service, but they were definitely "military:" clean shaven, cropped haircut, and that "squared away" look that comes with pride.
Smiling sadly, I glanced across my table to the empty seat where my husband usually sat. It had only been a few months since we sat in this very booth, talking about his upcoming deployment to the Middle East That was when he made me promise to get a sitter for the kids, come back to this restaurant once a month and treat myself to a nice steak. In turn he would treasure the thought of me being here, thinking about him until he returned home.
I fingered the little flag pin I constantly wear and wondered where he was at this very moment. Was he safe and warm? Was his cold any better? Were my letters getting through to him?
As I pondered these thoughts, high pitched female voices from the next booth broke into my thoughts. "I don't know what Bush is thinking about. Invading Iraq . You'd think that man would learn from his old man's mistakes. Good Lord. What an idiot! I can't believe he is even in office. You do know, he stole the election."
I cut into my steak and tried to ignore them as they began an endless tirade running down our president.
I thought about the last night I spent with my husband, as he prepared to deploy. He had just returned from getting his smallpox and anthrax shots. The image of him standing in our kitchen packing his gas mask still gives me chills.
Once again the women's voices invaded my thoughts.
"It's all about oil, you know. Our soldiers will go in and rape and steal all the oil they can in the name of 'freedom'. Hmmm! I wonder how many innocent people they'll kill without giving it a thought. It's pure greed, you know."
My chest tightened as I stared at my wedding ring. I could still see how handsome my husband looked in his "mess dress" the day he slipped it on my finger I wondered what he was wearing now. Probably his desert uniform, affectionately dubbed "coffee stains" with a heavy bulletproof vest over it.
"You know, we should just leave Iraq alone. I don't think they are hiding any weapons. In fact, I bet it's all a big act just to increase the president's popularity. That's all it is, padding the military budget at the expense of our social security and education. And, you know what else? We're just asking for another 9-11. I can't say when it happens again that we didn't deserve it."
Their words brought to mind the war protesters I had watched gathering outside our base. Did no one even appreciate the sacrifice of brave men and women, who leave their homes and family to ensure our freedom? Do they even know what "freedom" is?
I glanced at the table where the young men were sitting, and saw their courageous faces change. They had stopped eating and looked at each other dejectedly, listening to the women talking.
"Well, I, for one, think it's just deplorable to invade Iraq , and I am certainly sick of our tax dollars going to train professional baby-killers we call a military."
Professional baby-killers. I thought about what a wonderful father my husband is, and of how long it would be before he would see our children again.
That's it! Indignation rose up inside me. Norma lly reserved, pride in my husband gave me a brassy boldness I never realized I had. Tonight one voice will answer on behalf of our military, and let her pride in our troops be known.
Sliding out of my booth, I walked around to the adjoining booth and placed my hands flat on their table. Lowering myself to eye level with them, smiling I said, "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. You see, I'm sitting here trying to enjoy my dinner alone. And, do you know why? Because my husband, whom I love with all my heart, is halfway around the world defending your right to say rotten things about him."
"Yes, you have the right to your opinion, and what you think is none of my business. However, what you say in public is something else, and I will not sit by and listen to you ridicule MY country, MY president, MY husband, and all the other fine American men and women who put their lives on the line, just so you can have the "freedom" to complain. Freedom is an expensive commodity, ladies. Don't let your actions cheapen it."
I must have been louder than I meant to be, because the manager came over to inquire if everything was all right
"Yes, thank you," I replied.
Then, turning back to the women, I said, "Enjoy the rest of your meal."
As I returned to my booth applause broke out. I was embarrassed for making a scene, and went back to my half eaten steak. The women picked up their check and scurried away.
After finishing my meal, and while waiting for my check, the manager returned with a huge apple cobbler ala mode. "Compliments of those soldiers," he said. He also smiled and said the ladies tried to pay for my dinner, but that another couple had beaten them to it.
When I asked who, the manager said they had already left, but that the gentleman was a veteran, and wanted to take care of the wife of "one of our boys."
With a lump in my throat, I gratefully turned to the soldiers and thanked them for the cobbler. Grinning from ear to ear, they came over and surrounded the booth.
"We just wanted to thank you, ma'am. You know we can't get into confrontations with civilians, so we appreciate what you did."
As I drove home, for the first time since my husband's deployment, I didn't feel quite so alone. My heart was filled with the warmth of the other diners who stopped by my table, to relate how they, too, were proud of my husband, and would keep him in their prayers.
I knew their flags would fly a little higher the next day. Perhaps they would look for more tangible ways to show their pride in our country, and the military that protect her. And maybe, just maybe, the two women who were railing against our country would pause for a minute to appreciate all the freedom America offers, and the price it pays to maintain its freedom.
As for me, I have learned that one voice CAN make a difference.
Maybe the next time protesters gather outside the gates of the base where I live, I will proudly stand on the opposite side with a sign of my own. It will simply say, "Thank You!"
To those who fought for our nation, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.
GOD BLESS AMERICA !
Please pray for God's protection of our troops and HIS wisdom for their commanders. Pass this on to as many as you think will respond.
"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior."
When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our ground, air and navy personnel in every area of the middle east.
There is nothing attached....
This can be very powerful.
Just send this to all the people in your address book.
Do not stop this prayer chain, please.... Of all the gifts you could give to anyone in the US Military, be it Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines or National Guard, prayer is the very best one....Amen.
GOD BLESS AMERICA
11Alive.com - N.C. Sheriff: Pregnant Marine is Dead
11Alive.com - N.C. Sheriff: Pregnant Marine is Dead
N.C. Sheriff: Pregnant Marine is Dead
|
Make Us Home
Provided By: The Associated Press
Last Modified: 1/11/2008 12:54:22 PM
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- A pregnant Marine missing for nearly a month is dead, and investigators were seeking a fellow Marine she had accused of sexually assaulting her, a sheriff said Friday.
Authorities had not recovered the body of 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Maria Frances Lauterbach, but they believed she was buried in a shallow grave in coastal Onslow County, Sheriff Ed Brown said.
The suspect, 21-year-old Cpl. Cesar Armando Lauren, has declined to meet with investigators and is not in custody, he said.
"They don't know where he is," Brown said of the suspect. "He's gone."
Lauterbach had claimed a superior had sexually assaulted her, and she was worried that the investigation was going nowhere, according to court documents. She vanished last month before she was to testify in a military probe,
The court papers said the anticipated birth of the baby "might provide evidentiary credence to charges she lodged with military authorities that she was sexually assaulted by a senior military person."
Brown said detectives had tried to speak with Lauren, but he refused to do so, on the advise of his attorneys. Authorities said they didn't consider Lauren a flight risk until Friday, because they had information the pair carried on a "friendly relationship" after she reported the assault to military authorities.
Authorities had not recovered the body of 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Maria Frances Lauterbach, but they believed she was buried in a shallow grave in coastal Onslow County, Sheriff Ed Brown said.
The suspect, 21-year-old Cpl. Cesar Armando Lauren, has declined to meet with investigators and is not in custody, he said.
"They don't know where he is," Brown said of the suspect. "He's gone."
Lauterbach had claimed a superior had sexually assaulted her, and she was worried that the investigation was going nowhere, according to court documents. She vanished last month before she was to testify in a military probe,
The court papers said the anticipated birth of the baby "might provide evidentiary credence to charges she lodged with military authorities that she was sexually assaulted by a senior military person."
Brown said detectives had tried to speak with Lauren, but he refused to do so, on the advise of his attorneys. Authorities said they didn't consider Lauren a flight risk until Friday, because they had information the pair carried on a "friendly relationship" after she reported the assault to military authorities.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Chewing Gum Sweetener Can Cause Dangerous Weight Loss
Chewing Gum Sweetener Can Cause Dangerous Weight Loss
Many sugar-free chewing gums contain a sweetener called sorbitol. Sorbitol is a laxative which is poorly absorbed by the small intestine. An article in this week's British Medical Journal (BMJ) warns of the dangers of excess sorbitol intake.
The warning comes after doctors came across two patients who had chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain and dangerously excessive weight loss. After lengthy investigations which could not identify why the patients were losing so much weight and had chronic diarrhea and pains, a detailed analysis of eating habits put the problem down to eating too much chewing gum with sorbitol.
One of the patients, a 21-year-old woman, had been eating the equivalent of 18-20g of sorbitol each day. The average stick of gum has about 1.25g sorbitol - so, she was chewing through 15-18 sticks of gum each day. The other patient, a 46-year-old man, was chewing about 20 sticks of sorbitol-containing gum plus approximately 200g of sweets (candy) each day - his total sorbitol daily intake was about 30g, the authors wrote.
As soon as sorbitol intake was stopped, both patients started having normal bowel movements (diarrhea subsided) and normal weight gain was achieved.
The authors say consumers are generally unaware of the possible side-effects of sorbitol, even though details are included in the small print of foods containing it. When consumers have gastronomical problems they are unaware that they may be caused by the laxative effects of sorbitol.
The authors conclude that sorbitol consumption may not only cause chronic diarrhea and functional bowel complaints, but also significant unplanned weight loss of about 20% of body weight. Any investigation of unexplained weight loss should include a detailed dietary history with regard to sorbitol-containing foods.
What is Sorbitol?
Also known as glucitol, sorbitol is a sugar alcohol. The body metabolizes it slowly. It is obtained by reduction of glucose changing the ether group to an addition hydroxyl group - hence the name sugar alcohol.
Sorbitol can be found in cough syrups, sugar free mints, chewing gum, diet foods, diet drinks and ice creams. Sorbitol occurs naturally in some stone fruits and berries from trees of the Sorbus genus.
Sorbitol provides dietary energy of 2.6 kilocalories (11 kilojoules) per gram, compared to sugar which provides about 4 kilocalories (17 kilojoules). Sorbitol retains 60% of the sweetness.
As a food additive Sorbitol has an E-number E420 and is categorized as a sweetener, emulsifier and humectant.
Sorbitol is also used as a non-stimulant laxative. It either an oral suspension or a suppository. It draws water into the large intestine, stimulating bowel movements.
"Lesson of the Week - Severe weight loss caused by chewing gum"
Juergen Bauditz, Kristina Norman, Henrik Biering, Herbert Lochs, Matthias Pirlic
BMJ 2008;336:96-97 (12 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39280.657350.BE
Click here to view abstract online
Written by - Christian Nordvqist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Many sugar-free chewing gums contain a sweetener called sorbitol. Sorbitol is a laxative which is poorly absorbed by the small intestine. An article in this week's British Medical Journal (BMJ) warns of the dangers of excess sorbitol intake.
The warning comes after doctors came across two patients who had chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain and dangerously excessive weight loss. After lengthy investigations which could not identify why the patients were losing so much weight and had chronic diarrhea and pains, a detailed analysis of eating habits put the problem down to eating too much chewing gum with sorbitol.
One of the patients, a 21-year-old woman, had been eating the equivalent of 18-20g of sorbitol each day. The average stick of gum has about 1.25g sorbitol - so, she was chewing through 15-18 sticks of gum each day. The other patient, a 46-year-old man, was chewing about 20 sticks of sorbitol-containing gum plus approximately 200g of sweets (candy) each day - his total sorbitol daily intake was about 30g, the authors wrote.
As soon as sorbitol intake was stopped, both patients started having normal bowel movements (diarrhea subsided) and normal weight gain was achieved.
The authors say consumers are generally unaware of the possible side-effects of sorbitol, even though details are included in the small print of foods containing it. When consumers have gastronomical problems they are unaware that they may be caused by the laxative effects of sorbitol.
The authors conclude that sorbitol consumption may not only cause chronic diarrhea and functional bowel complaints, but also significant unplanned weight loss of about 20% of body weight. Any investigation of unexplained weight loss should include a detailed dietary history with regard to sorbitol-containing foods.
What is Sorbitol?
Also known as glucitol, sorbitol is a sugar alcohol. The body metabolizes it slowly. It is obtained by reduction of glucose changing the ether group to an addition hydroxyl group - hence the name sugar alcohol.
Sorbitol can be found in cough syrups, sugar free mints, chewing gum, diet foods, diet drinks and ice creams. Sorbitol occurs naturally in some stone fruits and berries from trees of the Sorbus genus.
Sorbitol provides dietary energy of 2.6 kilocalories (11 kilojoules) per gram, compared to sugar which provides about 4 kilocalories (17 kilojoules). Sorbitol retains 60% of the sweetness.
As a food additive Sorbitol has an E-number E420 and is categorized as a sweetener, emulsifier and humectant.
Sorbitol is also used as a non-stimulant laxative. It either an oral suspension or a suppository. It draws water into the large intestine, stimulating bowel movements.
"Lesson of the Week - Severe weight loss caused by chewing gum"
Juergen Bauditz, Kristina Norman, Henrik Biering, Herbert Lochs, Matthias Pirlic
BMJ 2008;336:96-97 (12 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39280.657350.BE
Click here to view abstract online
Written by - Christian Nordvqist
Copyright: Medical News Today
» Why I run an open Wi-Fi network | SOHO Networking | ZDNet.com
» Why I run an open Wi-Fi network SOHO Networking ZDNet.com
January 11th, 2008
Why I run an open Wi-Fi networkPosted by Rik Fairlie @ 7:58 am
Security expert Bruce Schneier wrote a column yesterday titled Steal This Wi-Fi explaining why he runs an open wireless network at home:
To me, it’s basic politeness. Providing internet access to guests is kind of like providing heat and electricity, or a hot cup of tea. But to some observers, it’s both wrong and dangerous.
I’m told that uninvited strangers may sit in their cars in front of my house, and use my network to send spam, eavesdrop on my passwords, and upload and download everything from pirated movies to child pornography. As a result, I risk all sorts of bad things happening to me, from seeing my IP address blacklisted to having the police crash through my door.
Schneier concedes that, technically, these sort of calamities are possible, but he discounts the likelihood. I, too, run an open wireless network, but my reasons for sharing the bandwidth are a little different.
I have a Wi-Fi network in my Manhattan apartment. I pay $45 a month for a broadband cable connection, and this network is encrypted. I live in a 19-story apartment building and the chance that too many people would usurp my bandwidth (and thereby diminish my user experience) is too great.
I have another wireless network at a weekend home in Woodstock, NY. I pay the same cable company $45 each month for broadband service. Since I can’t be in both places at the same time, why should I have to pay for wireless access two times? I explained this to the cable company, and asked to get a discount for multiple accounts (I pay for cable TV in both locations, too). The answer? Absolutely not. So I figured I’d share the bandwidth.
In Manhattan, I’ve shared the password to my wireless network a neighbor down the hall who has two kids but doesn’t have cable TV. (There’s something about this that I think warrants a reward.) In Woodstock, I have an open network that I share with my neighbors some 200 feet away. I have been doing this for more than a year in both locations, without a glitch.
I know this setup wouldn’t work for everyone, particularly if others using your network are heavy consumers of bandwidth. No offense to my neighbors, but I don’t think any of them could identify BitTorrent if it bit them. They’re just browsing the Web and checking e-mail.
I have never publicly admitted that I share my bandwidth, though, because I knew those who doggedly protect their networks would heap criticism on me for being irresponsible (or stupid). But I’m just not the paranoid type; never have been. So until my cable company finds a way to fairly charge users with multiple accounts (or sends me a cease-and-desist letter), I’ll continue to share my bandwidth. I figure it’s their problem to solve, not mine.
What do you think? Is sharing your network risky or a reward to others?
Eliakim48 - 01/11/08 Please read the original article.
Reply
1. I share the bandwidth, too Eliakim48 - 01/11/08 I have gone on trips where I've used someone's home wifi for a quick e-mail or checking something (like the location of a business or whatever), when I haven't been able to find a business giving an open WiFi Hotspot. They are not around in a lot of small towns, when one goes on trips. So, just cruising down the highway and wardriving (sorta) gives you all sorts of access points. I also have a couple of HotSpot accounts, but even so, it's very uneven coverage. It's mostly in major metropolitan areas. You get outside of about 25 major metro areas and then your choices narrow down, and then to nothing, outside of the top 100 cities. But, there are always neighborhood wifi hotspots around. There's no problem there. So, I leave mine on all the time and it broadcast "open" to anyone who wants to tap in. I'm not too far from a major interstate and one block from a major city street, so I'm not isolated so that people can't find it. But, even so, I really don't have a lot of people taking advantage of it. I just "give it back" to the wifi community "at large" for the times that I've used it out on trips.
Reply
2. In a kinder-gentler era... Knorthern Knight - 01/11/08 ...this was exactly the same reasoning applied to open email relays. Then @**hole spammers abused it, and open email relays were deprecated. The same thing will happen here. Criminals will abuse open wifi for stuff they wouldn't dare do from home. See http://www.securityfocus.com/news/7514 If nothing else, you risk being charged as an accessory for any criminal acts committed using your open connection.
Reply
3. Depending on the contract you signed .... ShadeTree - 01/11/08 ... with the broadband provider you may be liable for additionl charges above and beyond your current residential fees. That is if you get caught Of course posting that you are doing so in a public forum is an excellent way to get caught!
January 11th, 2008
Why I run an open Wi-Fi networkPosted by Rik Fairlie @ 7:58 am
Security expert Bruce Schneier wrote a column yesterday titled Steal This Wi-Fi explaining why he runs an open wireless network at home:
To me, it’s basic politeness. Providing internet access to guests is kind of like providing heat and electricity, or a hot cup of tea. But to some observers, it’s both wrong and dangerous.
I’m told that uninvited strangers may sit in their cars in front of my house, and use my network to send spam, eavesdrop on my passwords, and upload and download everything from pirated movies to child pornography. As a result, I risk all sorts of bad things happening to me, from seeing my IP address blacklisted to having the police crash through my door.
Schneier concedes that, technically, these sort of calamities are possible, but he discounts the likelihood. I, too, run an open wireless network, but my reasons for sharing the bandwidth are a little different.
I have a Wi-Fi network in my Manhattan apartment. I pay $45 a month for a broadband cable connection, and this network is encrypted. I live in a 19-story apartment building and the chance that too many people would usurp my bandwidth (and thereby diminish my user experience) is too great.
I have another wireless network at a weekend home in Woodstock, NY. I pay the same cable company $45 each month for broadband service. Since I can’t be in both places at the same time, why should I have to pay for wireless access two times? I explained this to the cable company, and asked to get a discount for multiple accounts (I pay for cable TV in both locations, too). The answer? Absolutely not. So I figured I’d share the bandwidth.
In Manhattan, I’ve shared the password to my wireless network a neighbor down the hall who has two kids but doesn’t have cable TV. (There’s something about this that I think warrants a reward.) In Woodstock, I have an open network that I share with my neighbors some 200 feet away. I have been doing this for more than a year in both locations, without a glitch.
I know this setup wouldn’t work for everyone, particularly if others using your network are heavy consumers of bandwidth. No offense to my neighbors, but I don’t think any of them could identify BitTorrent if it bit them. They’re just browsing the Web and checking e-mail.
I have never publicly admitted that I share my bandwidth, though, because I knew those who doggedly protect their networks would heap criticism on me for being irresponsible (or stupid). But I’m just not the paranoid type; never have been. So until my cable company finds a way to fairly charge users with multiple accounts (or sends me a cease-and-desist letter), I’ll continue to share my bandwidth. I figure it’s their problem to solve, not mine.
What do you think? Is sharing your network risky or a reward to others?
Eliakim48 - 01/11/08 Please read the original article.
Reply
1. I share the bandwidth, too Eliakim48 - 01/11/08 I have gone on trips where I've used someone's home wifi for a quick e-mail or checking something (like the location of a business or whatever), when I haven't been able to find a business giving an open WiFi Hotspot. They are not around in a lot of small towns, when one goes on trips. So, just cruising down the highway and wardriving (sorta) gives you all sorts of access points. I also have a couple of HotSpot accounts, but even so, it's very uneven coverage. It's mostly in major metropolitan areas. You get outside of about 25 major metro areas and then your choices narrow down, and then to nothing, outside of the top 100 cities. But, there are always neighborhood wifi hotspots around. There's no problem there. So, I leave mine on all the time and it broadcast "open" to anyone who wants to tap in. I'm not too far from a major interstate and one block from a major city street, so I'm not isolated so that people can't find it. But, even so, I really don't have a lot of people taking advantage of it. I just "give it back" to the wifi community "at large" for the times that I've used it out on trips.
Reply
2. In a kinder-gentler era... Knorthern Knight - 01/11/08 ...this was exactly the same reasoning applied to open email relays. Then @**hole spammers abused it, and open email relays were deprecated. The same thing will happen here. Criminals will abuse open wifi for stuff they wouldn't dare do from home. See http://www.securityfocus.com/news/7514 If nothing else, you risk being charged as an accessory for any criminal acts committed using your open connection.
Reply
3. Depending on the contract you signed .... ShadeTree - 01/11/08 ... with the broadband provider you may be liable for additionl charges above and beyond your current residential fees. That is if you get caught Of course posting that you are doing so in a public forum is an excellent way to get caught!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
» Why won’t my teachers stop printing? | Education IT | ZDNet.com
» Why won’t my teachers stop printing? Education IT ZDNet.com
For what I spend on toner every year, I could buy quite a few Eees. I could, in fact, think of countless ways to spend that money. I could buy textbooks, athletic supplies, art supplies, RAM upgrades, ergonomic furniture, you name it. What’s actually more disturbing is to remember that my school is fairly small (about 600 students), meaning that larger schools probably spend much more.
I give teachers web pages, training on blogging, course management software, USB drives, and shared folders on file servers. They have laptops or desktops in their rooms. But they still keep printing. Here in the middle of Massachusetts, we’re fairly conservation-minded, so my Seattle tree-hugging, spotted owl-saving tactics tend to resonate with the teachers who kill trees by the forest. At least they resonate for a few minutes until they fire up the copiers and printers and start generating reams of worksheets and handouts. Teachers still request that students not submit work electronically. I’ve even seen those that do accept work via email or digital dropboxes printing it out for grading and correction.
Yet, so often, there simply isn’t any need. We’re not at a point where we could be paperless. Even I’m going to print out my final exams next week. However, we’re certainly at a point where we could drastically reduce our printing needs. How can I change the old mindsets and get teachers to leverage digital means for distributing and collecting materials?
How have you done it? Talk back below and let me know if I just need to let a generation of teachers retire (by which time, the young teachers will have probably bought into our paper-centric paradigm themselves.)
Discussion:
Why won't my teachers stop printing? 4 Comments 10 NEW - last 24 hours RSS Feed-->
Reply
Why won't my teachers stop printing?jack-daniels@... - 01/10/08 Please read the original article.
Reply
1. Printing ... simply another waste of time/energy/etc jack-daniels@... - 01/10/08 I think ya will have to fire 50% if ya get to 'that' point - simply dispense with most of the teachers - why do we have to spoon-feed every crumb of knowlwdge into kids' brains? If it can read the assignment on the screen, let it answer there ..? Less teachers = less printing Maybe fire all the printers too .... I have not purchased a newspaper in 10 years .... where I live part of the year even the Condor has made a comeback..... BR>Jack
Reply
2. RE: Why won't my teachers stop printing? kiglas - 01/10/08 It is not an easy solution, the tangible contact of paper carries a weight for our generation that is not easily replaced. But with new cheaper technology (UMPC, OLPC, EEEPC) we might be able to train the next few generations to give up on the felling of needing a 'Hard Copy'. Also, color e-ink will go replace reams of paper once it is fully developed.
Reply
3. Red pen jshaw4343 - 01/10/08 Unfortunately, teachers (as do most people) prefer editing a hard copy with the proverbial red pen. Nothing beats the easy of circling a wrong answer or mispelled word with that red pen. We've made our documents, electronic, but we haven't made them easier to review and edit. Until someone comes up with better documents or teachers use the technology to develop new methods for submitting and reviewing work, they will continue to print.
For what I spend on toner every year, I could buy quite a few Eees. I could, in fact, think of countless ways to spend that money. I could buy textbooks, athletic supplies, art supplies, RAM upgrades, ergonomic furniture, you name it. What’s actually more disturbing is to remember that my school is fairly small (about 600 students), meaning that larger schools probably spend much more.
I give teachers web pages, training on blogging, course management software, USB drives, and shared folders on file servers. They have laptops or desktops in their rooms. But they still keep printing. Here in the middle of Massachusetts, we’re fairly conservation-minded, so my Seattle tree-hugging, spotted owl-saving tactics tend to resonate with the teachers who kill trees by the forest. At least they resonate for a few minutes until they fire up the copiers and printers and start generating reams of worksheets and handouts. Teachers still request that students not submit work electronically. I’ve even seen those that do accept work via email or digital dropboxes printing it out for grading and correction.
Yet, so often, there simply isn’t any need. We’re not at a point where we could be paperless. Even I’m going to print out my final exams next week. However, we’re certainly at a point where we could drastically reduce our printing needs. How can I change the old mindsets and get teachers to leverage digital means for distributing and collecting materials?
How have you done it? Talk back below and let me know if I just need to let a generation of teachers retire (by which time, the young teachers will have probably bought into our paper-centric paradigm themselves.)
Discussion:
Why won't my teachers stop printing? 4 Comments 10 NEW - last 24 hours RSS Feed-->
Reply
Why won't my teachers stop printing?jack-daniels@... - 01/10/08 Please read the original article.
Reply
1. Printing ... simply another waste of time/energy/etc jack-daniels@... - 01/10/08 I think ya will have to fire 50% if ya get to 'that' point - simply dispense with most of the teachers - why do we have to spoon-feed every crumb of knowlwdge into kids' brains? If it can read the assignment on the screen, let it answer there ..? Less teachers = less printing Maybe fire all the printers too .... I have not purchased a newspaper in 10 years .... where I live part of the year even the Condor has made a comeback..... BR>Jack
Reply
2. RE: Why won't my teachers stop printing? kiglas - 01/10/08 It is not an easy solution, the tangible contact of paper carries a weight for our generation that is not easily replaced. But with new cheaper technology (UMPC, OLPC, EEEPC) we might be able to train the next few generations to give up on the felling of needing a 'Hard Copy'. Also, color e-ink will go replace reams of paper once it is fully developed.
Reply
3. Red pen jshaw4343 - 01/10/08 Unfortunately, teachers (as do most people) prefer editing a hard copy with the proverbial red pen. Nothing beats the easy of circling a wrong answer or mispelled word with that red pen. We've made our documents, electronic, but we haven't made them easier to review and edit. Until someone comes up with better documents or teachers use the technology to develop new methods for submitting and reviewing work, they will continue to print.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
750,000 dollars in damages for cuckolded husband - Yahoo! News
750,000 dollars in damages for cuckolded husband - Yahoo! News
750,000 dollars in damages for cuckolded husband
Mon Jan 7, 7:08 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A Mississippi businessman must pay more than 750,000 dollars in damages to the man whose wife he wooed away, after the US Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal in the case.
In 1997, Sandra Valentine began working for Jerry Fitch, a wealthy realtor and successful businessman.
When she gave birth to a daughter two years later, it quickly became apparent that her boss -- not her plumber husband -- was the baby's father.
The couple divorced a short time later, after legal proceedings in which she acknowledged an adulterous relationship with Fitch, whom she tied the knot with a short time later.
But armed with the admission of adultery, betrayed ex-husband Johnny Valentine decided to sue Fitch, based on an antiquated Mississippi state law permitting a cuckolded spouse to seek damages for "loss of society, companionship, love and affection," as well as "the loss of sexual relations."
About a half dozen US states have similar "alienation of affection" laws on the book.
The Mississippi Supreme Court upheld a jury verdict awarding some 750,000 dollars to Valentine.
Fitch, who decried the verdict as unconstitutional, "antiquated" and based on "medieval notions" about marriage and property, appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court which refused to overturn the verdict.
His appeal of last resort failed on Monday when the US Supreme Court declined to take up the case.
750,000 dollars in damages for cuckolded husband
Mon Jan 7, 7:08 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A Mississippi businessman must pay more than 750,000 dollars in damages to the man whose wife he wooed away, after the US Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal in the case.
In 1997, Sandra Valentine began working for Jerry Fitch, a wealthy realtor and successful businessman.
When she gave birth to a daughter two years later, it quickly became apparent that her boss -- not her plumber husband -- was the baby's father.
The couple divorced a short time later, after legal proceedings in which she acknowledged an adulterous relationship with Fitch, whom she tied the knot with a short time later.
But armed with the admission of adultery, betrayed ex-husband Johnny Valentine decided to sue Fitch, based on an antiquated Mississippi state law permitting a cuckolded spouse to seek damages for "loss of society, companionship, love and affection," as well as "the loss of sexual relations."
About a half dozen US states have similar "alienation of affection" laws on the book.
The Mississippi Supreme Court upheld a jury verdict awarding some 750,000 dollars to Valentine.
Fitch, who decried the verdict as unconstitutional, "antiquated" and based on "medieval notions" about marriage and property, appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court which refused to overturn the verdict.
His appeal of last resort failed on Monday when the US Supreme Court declined to take up the case.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Court Takes Death-Penalty Case Involving Rape of Young Girl - WSJ.com
Court Takes Death-Penalty Case Involving Rape of Young Girl - WSJ.com
Court Takes Death-Penalty CaseInvolving Rape of Young Girl
By MARK H. ANDERSON January 4, 2008 3:24 p.m.
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court Friday added another dramatic death-penalty case to its docket, agreeing to decide whether a Louisiana man can be put to death for raping his young daughter.
The case joins an appeal set for argument Monday where the Supreme Court will decide whether lethal-injection procedures used in many criminal executions violate constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. The lethal injection appeal, in Baze v. Rees, spurred what has become a de facto nationwide halt on death penalty executions until the appeal is decided.
In contrast, the Louisiana rape case for now may affect the fate of just one man -- Patrick Kennedy. His attorneys say he is the only person set to be put to death for rape in the last 40 years.
Nevertheless, the appeal gives the Supreme Court the chance to revisit whether the death penalty can be used for crimes that don't involve someone's death. In recent years, five states have enacted laws allowing the death penalty for child rape and nine additional states and the federal government have seldom-used laws that allow death penalty convictions in certain instances that don't involve murder.
Mr. Kennedy, who claimed his daughter was raped by two teenagers, was convicted of raping his daughter in March 1998 and severely injuring her. The aggravated rape conviction, combined with the 8-year-old age of the victim, resulted in a death penalty sentence under Louisiana's rape laws. On appeal, the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld the conviction despite a 1977 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that rejected the death penalty in the rape of a 16-year-old.
Attorneys for Mr. Kennedy, in a Supreme Court brief, said the death penalty conviction was "anti-precedential" and should be overturned by the high court. "It flouts the overwhelming national consensus that capital punishment is an inappropriate penalty for any kind of rape," his attorneys said. "Forty-five states ban such punishment."
Louisiana said the death conviction should be allowed to stand because "the death penalty is not excessive punishment for the rape of a child." The state added that its law "genuinely narrows the class of death eligible rapists to those who rape young children under twelve and then at the sentencing phase allows for the consideration of mitigating circumstances."
The case is Kennedy v. Louisiana. Arguments will be heard in the spring.
The lethal injection case will be the first matter the court considers when it sits for the first time in 2008. The appeal was brought by Kentucky death row inmates who argue the procedures used to administer lethal injection violate the U.S. Constitution.
The Kentucky cases involve inmates Ralph Baze, convicted and sentenced to death for the 1992 killings of a county sheriff and his deputy, and Thomas Clyde Bowling Jr., convicted of the 1990 killings of the owners of a Lexington, Ky., dry-cleaning business and their small child.
The lethal injection procedures at issue involve a three-part drug injection that has been widely used since the 1980s by states that execute criminals. The drugs first paralyze and then stop a person's heart from beating.
Inmates in several states have been fighting lethal injection procedures in court cases, leading to procedure reviews and moratoriums across the country. The Supreme Court has halted several executions pending the outcome of the pending lethal injection appeal. A ruling is expected by July 2008.
Court Takes Death-Penalty CaseInvolving Rape of Young Girl
By MARK H. ANDERSON January 4, 2008 3:24 p.m.
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court Friday added another dramatic death-penalty case to its docket, agreeing to decide whether a Louisiana man can be put to death for raping his young daughter.
The case joins an appeal set for argument Monday where the Supreme Court will decide whether lethal-injection procedures used in many criminal executions violate constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. The lethal injection appeal, in Baze v. Rees, spurred what has become a de facto nationwide halt on death penalty executions until the appeal is decided.
In contrast, the Louisiana rape case for now may affect the fate of just one man -- Patrick Kennedy. His attorneys say he is the only person set to be put to death for rape in the last 40 years.
Nevertheless, the appeal gives the Supreme Court the chance to revisit whether the death penalty can be used for crimes that don't involve someone's death. In recent years, five states have enacted laws allowing the death penalty for child rape and nine additional states and the federal government have seldom-used laws that allow death penalty convictions in certain instances that don't involve murder.
Mr. Kennedy, who claimed his daughter was raped by two teenagers, was convicted of raping his daughter in March 1998 and severely injuring her. The aggravated rape conviction, combined with the 8-year-old age of the victim, resulted in a death penalty sentence under Louisiana's rape laws. On appeal, the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld the conviction despite a 1977 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that rejected the death penalty in the rape of a 16-year-old.
Attorneys for Mr. Kennedy, in a Supreme Court brief, said the death penalty conviction was "anti-precedential" and should be overturned by the high court. "It flouts the overwhelming national consensus that capital punishment is an inappropriate penalty for any kind of rape," his attorneys said. "Forty-five states ban such punishment."
Louisiana said the death conviction should be allowed to stand because "the death penalty is not excessive punishment for the rape of a child." The state added that its law "genuinely narrows the class of death eligible rapists to those who rape young children under twelve and then at the sentencing phase allows for the consideration of mitigating circumstances."
The case is Kennedy v. Louisiana. Arguments will be heard in the spring.
The lethal injection case will be the first matter the court considers when it sits for the first time in 2008. The appeal was brought by Kentucky death row inmates who argue the procedures used to administer lethal injection violate the U.S. Constitution.
The Kentucky cases involve inmates Ralph Baze, convicted and sentenced to death for the 1992 killings of a county sheriff and his deputy, and Thomas Clyde Bowling Jr., convicted of the 1990 killings of the owners of a Lexington, Ky., dry-cleaning business and their small child.
The lethal injection procedures at issue involve a three-part drug injection that has been widely used since the 1980s by states that execute criminals. The drugs first paralyze and then stop a person's heart from beating.
Inmates in several states have been fighting lethal injection procedures in court cases, leading to procedure reviews and moratoriums across the country. The Supreme Court has halted several executions pending the outcome of the pending lethal injection appeal. A ruling is expected by July 2008.
For Marine's sendoff, his car is keyed -- chicagotribune.com
For Marine's sendoff, his car is keyed -- chicagotribune.com
For Marine's sendoff, his car is keyed
John Kass
January 3, 2008
Article tools
Marine Sgt. Michael McNulty -- now on his way to Iraq for his second tour of duty in the war -- took meticulous care of his car.It is a black two-door BMW, an expensive ride for a young Marine from Chicago, but then, McNulty didn't exactly join up for the big paycheck and luxury vacations.
The 26-year-old McNulty was a trader at the exchange and enlisted in the Reserves after 9/11. He babied his car so much that he had military vanity plates along with a sticker in his window that let people know that a Marine or a Marine supporter drove that car.
But someone didn't like the Marine sticker, or the pro-military plates, and decided to stage an anti-war protest, with a key or hard piece of metal, on the shiny black finish of Sgt. McNulty's car that caused $2,400 in damage."It's a really nice car. It's in perfect condition. He keeps it meticulous. And he was going to sell it," said Sgt. McNulty's friend, Tom Sullivan, a college buddy from Loyola University.The last time Sgt. McNulty was in Iraq, he worked a .50-caliber machine gun from a Humvee. Now that he's going back, he really doesn't need a shiny black BMW that shows dust."There wasn't a scratch on his car," Sullivan said.But there is one now.It is a big scratch, a particularly long scratch in that black paint, a scratch stretching from the rear driver's side around the back, across the trunk, then up to the passenger's side.If you have a car, and parked it on the street, surely you've thought about what an angry key could do to it.According to the Cook County state's attorney's office, it wasn't an accident, but a deliberate key job, not done by some kid or street thug, but by a Chicago lawyer who apparently can't stand the military.Private attorney Jay R. Grodner, 55, of Chicago has been charged with a class A misdemeanor -- criminal damage to property -- punishable by up to one year in jail and up to a $2,500 fine, said Andy Conklin, spokesman for the state's attorney's office.Late Wednesday, I reached Sgt. McNulty, who declined to comment for the paper but confirmed the facts in the police report.And I wanted to get Grodner's side of it because he's been accused but not convicted of anything. So we called all the Grodner numbers we could find -- home and business -- including those on the police report and others in the suburbs and Chicago. Many were disconnected, and his cell phone voice mail was full.I'd like to ask him two questions:Why?And, are you proud?"McNulty was just coming to pick me up for breakfast, because he was going to training just before deployment," Sullivan said of that morning on Dec. 1 in Rogers Park.There are several one-way streets near Sullivan's home, but McNulty missed the turn, and rather than drive two or three blocks around, he put the car in reverse and backed up a hundred or so feet. He pulled up in front of his friend's house, rang the bell and Sullivan came downstairs. McNulty then turned around and saw Grodner's hands on his black car."Mike says, 'Hey, what are you doing to my car? Open up your hand!'" Sullivan told us. "And [Grodner] goes, '[Blank] you! Just because you're in the military you don't run the roost!'"There were allegedly many more epithets and cuss words, some allegedly applied to the United States Marine Corps, to the U.S. armed forces and to Sgt. McNulty himself."Quite frankly, you don't even look like a soldier. You're a small little [blank]," Grodner said according to Sullivan.This last bit really bothers William McNulty, who is Sgt. McNulty's brother, and he called me."My brother should be commended for not just smashing that guy's windpipe right there for all the stuff he said about our military, and the insults," William McNulty said. "Instead, my brother called the police, as he should have."According to the police report I read, other investigative accounts and interviews, Grodner was upset to have been accused of purposely scratching the car. So upset, that he accused his accusers of being anti-Semitic.The Chicago police officer responding to the call didn't take the accusation seriously, according to the report, because he couldn't justify it. And Sgt. McNulty's brother and Sullivan say it is outrageous and nonsensical."The officer wasn't going to hear this kind of talk. He put the kibosh on the whole thing," Sullivan said. "So [Grodner] became apologetic."According to the police report, "The offender denied scratching the victim's vehicle, but did admit to rubbing past it."Rubbing past it? I guess it all depends on what the definition of "rubbing" is.That's where it is now, awaiting another court date, set for Jan. 18, after Sgt. McNulty refused to back off and drop the charges in earlier court appearances.Lawyers know how to drag things out, with continuance after continuance, stalling until complaining witnesses get tired and move on.But Marines on their way to war don't seek continuances.And all Sgt. McNulty wanted was a little respect, and the chance to sell that car of his, without a scratch.
For Marine's sendoff, his car is keyed
John Kass
January 3, 2008
Article tools
Marine Sgt. Michael McNulty -- now on his way to Iraq for his second tour of duty in the war -- took meticulous care of his car.It is a black two-door BMW, an expensive ride for a young Marine from Chicago, but then, McNulty didn't exactly join up for the big paycheck and luxury vacations.
The 26-year-old McNulty was a trader at the exchange and enlisted in the Reserves after 9/11. He babied his car so much that he had military vanity plates along with a sticker in his window that let people know that a Marine or a Marine supporter drove that car.
But someone didn't like the Marine sticker, or the pro-military plates, and decided to stage an anti-war protest, with a key or hard piece of metal, on the shiny black finish of Sgt. McNulty's car that caused $2,400 in damage."It's a really nice car. It's in perfect condition. He keeps it meticulous. And he was going to sell it," said Sgt. McNulty's friend, Tom Sullivan, a college buddy from Loyola University.The last time Sgt. McNulty was in Iraq, he worked a .50-caliber machine gun from a Humvee. Now that he's going back, he really doesn't need a shiny black BMW that shows dust."There wasn't a scratch on his car," Sullivan said.But there is one now.It is a big scratch, a particularly long scratch in that black paint, a scratch stretching from the rear driver's side around the back, across the trunk, then up to the passenger's side.If you have a car, and parked it on the street, surely you've thought about what an angry key could do to it.According to the Cook County state's attorney's office, it wasn't an accident, but a deliberate key job, not done by some kid or street thug, but by a Chicago lawyer who apparently can't stand the military.Private attorney Jay R. Grodner, 55, of Chicago has been charged with a class A misdemeanor -- criminal damage to property -- punishable by up to one year in jail and up to a $2,500 fine, said Andy Conklin, spokesman for the state's attorney's office.Late Wednesday, I reached Sgt. McNulty, who declined to comment for the paper but confirmed the facts in the police report.And I wanted to get Grodner's side of it because he's been accused but not convicted of anything. So we called all the Grodner numbers we could find -- home and business -- including those on the police report and others in the suburbs and Chicago. Many were disconnected, and his cell phone voice mail was full.I'd like to ask him two questions:Why?And, are you proud?"McNulty was just coming to pick me up for breakfast, because he was going to training just before deployment," Sullivan said of that morning on Dec. 1 in Rogers Park.There are several one-way streets near Sullivan's home, but McNulty missed the turn, and rather than drive two or three blocks around, he put the car in reverse and backed up a hundred or so feet. He pulled up in front of his friend's house, rang the bell and Sullivan came downstairs. McNulty then turned around and saw Grodner's hands on his black car."Mike says, 'Hey, what are you doing to my car? Open up your hand!'" Sullivan told us. "And [Grodner] goes, '[Blank] you! Just because you're in the military you don't run the roost!'"There were allegedly many more epithets and cuss words, some allegedly applied to the United States Marine Corps, to the U.S. armed forces and to Sgt. McNulty himself."Quite frankly, you don't even look like a soldier. You're a small little [blank]," Grodner said according to Sullivan.This last bit really bothers William McNulty, who is Sgt. McNulty's brother, and he called me."My brother should be commended for not just smashing that guy's windpipe right there for all the stuff he said about our military, and the insults," William McNulty said. "Instead, my brother called the police, as he should have."According to the police report I read, other investigative accounts and interviews, Grodner was upset to have been accused of purposely scratching the car. So upset, that he accused his accusers of being anti-Semitic.The Chicago police officer responding to the call didn't take the accusation seriously, according to the report, because he couldn't justify it. And Sgt. McNulty's brother and Sullivan say it is outrageous and nonsensical."The officer wasn't going to hear this kind of talk. He put the kibosh on the whole thing," Sullivan said. "So [Grodner] became apologetic."According to the police report, "The offender denied scratching the victim's vehicle, but did admit to rubbing past it."Rubbing past it? I guess it all depends on what the definition of "rubbing" is.That's where it is now, awaiting another court date, set for Jan. 18, after Sgt. McNulty refused to back off and drop the charges in earlier court appearances.Lawyers know how to drag things out, with continuance after continuance, stalling until complaining witnesses get tired and move on.But Marines on their way to war don't seek continuances.And all Sgt. McNulty wanted was a little respect, and the chance to sell that car of his, without a scratch.
Man using GPS drives in front of train
Stupid is as Stupid does
Man using GPS drives in front of train - Yahoo! News
BEDFORD HILLS, N.Y. - A Global Positioning System can tell a driver a lot of things — but apparently not when a train is coming. A computer consultant driving a rental car drove onto train tracks Wednesday using the instructions his GPS unit gave him. A train was barreling toward him, but he escaped in time and no one was injured.
The driver had turned right, as the system advised, and the car somehow got stuck on the tracks at the crossing. He jumped out and tried to warn the engineer by waving. He got out of the way just before the train slammed into the car at 60 mph, Metro-North railroad spokesman Dan Brucker said Thursday.
The car was pushed more than 100 feet during the fiery crash.
Some 500 train passengers were stranded for more than two hours during the Wednesday evening rush hour. The accident also heavily damaged 250 feet of rail, Brucker said.
The railroad said that the driver was issued a minor summons for obstructing a railroad crossing and that he and his rental company would be liable for the damage, estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Man using GPS drives in front of train - Yahoo! News
BEDFORD HILLS, N.Y. - A Global Positioning System can tell a driver a lot of things — but apparently not when a train is coming. A computer consultant driving a rental car drove onto train tracks Wednesday using the instructions his GPS unit gave him. A train was barreling toward him, but he escaped in time and no one was injured.
The driver had turned right, as the system advised, and the car somehow got stuck on the tracks at the crossing. He jumped out and tried to warn the engineer by waving. He got out of the way just before the train slammed into the car at 60 mph, Metro-North railroad spokesman Dan Brucker said Thursday.
The car was pushed more than 100 feet during the fiery crash.
Some 500 train passengers were stranded for more than two hours during the Wednesday evening rush hour. The accident also heavily damaged 250 feet of rail, Brucker said.
The railroad said that the driver was issued a minor summons for obstructing a railroad crossing and that he and his rental company would be liable for the damage, estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Netflix To Stream Internet Video, Movies Directly To TVs -- Netflix -- InformationWeek
Netflix To Stream Internet Video, Movies Directly To TVs -- Netflix -- InformationWeek
InformationWeek
January 3, 2008 11:44 AM
Netflix To Stream Internet Video, Movies Directly To TVs
Netflix and LG Electronics will develop a set-top box to let users to stream movies and other content from the Internet to HDTV sets.
By K.C. JonesInformationWeek
The companies announced Thursday that they will develop a set-top box that will allow users to stream movies and other content from the Internet to HDTV sets. Netflix, which began to allow users to stream content to their PCs via the Internet last year, said the new system would bypass PCs. The companies said a networked LG player will be released to market by the second half of this year. "Internet to the TV is a huge opportunity," said Reed Hastings, Netflix's founder, chairman, and CEO, in the announcement. "Netflix explored also offering its own Netflix-branded set-top boxes, but we concluded that familiar consumer Netflix said the move reflects its larger strategy to offer customers a variety of ways to rent and view movies and television programs. Those who buy the hardware will be able to rent titles cataloged on the Internet. Netflix already offers more than 6,000 titles via the Internet, and the company said it plans to expand its "Consumers crave compelling and immediate content, and the Netflix online streaming movie feature can provide instant gratification," Ki Kwon, president of the consumer electronics division of LG Electronics USA, said in the announcement. LG Electronics said the partnership will improve its position in the U.S. digital television marketplace. Netflix and LG Electronics will deliver rental movies and TV series directly to TV sets, sidestepping the well-known red envelopes used by the DVD rental company. 
1 message(s). Last at: Jan 3, 2008 12:14:25 PM
- commented on Jan 3, 2008 12:14:25 PMWhy wasn't the resolution of content mentioned in this stream of immediate video to the consumer. Streaming video via the internet even with a great deal of compression could be an adventure for the consumer if the pipe isn't large enough. Concept sounds good but......I wonder.
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