justxploring's Blog

I know a human being was killed.  He was a teenager and somebody's son.  But boy do I agree with this columnist and radio show host.  Bravo!

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59779

As soon as I heard the news that a bengal tiger escaped its enclosure at the San Francisco zoo and attacked 3 men, I knew something was very suspicious.  Then I heard Jack Hanna (we've all seen him on Leno and Letterman) say such a leap would be "virtually impossible."  He said the tiger would have to be provoked to accomplish such an "unbelievable feat."  

I don't expect police officers to drive around with animal tranquilizing guns, but it's too bad that one of them didn't try to use a taser.  I guess the shock of seeing the 2 young men mauled caused them to react quickly, which was to stop the tiger from harming anyone else.  I'm still curious why someone wasn't at the zoo to handle this type of emergency.  Maybe that's because usually drunken morons don't hang around the zoo. 

Tatiana was already a victim of imprisonment.  She had never committed a crime, but was caged and displayed in a world so different from her own.  Her instincts taught her to survive by fighting back when threatened.  Animal experts say the latest autopsy reports, which indicate she injured her paws and tore up her claws to escape the enclosure, prove her fight or flight instinct went into high gear while 3 intoxicated, stoned idiots threw debris and taunted her.  They lied to the police, but blood and urine tests don't lie.  They had open bottles of vodka in the car and marijuana.  It was probably just a game to them.  After all, it was dark, the zoo was closing and they felt like stirring up some trouble. 

My prayers and sympathy go out to the parents, but the men were 24, 19 and 17.  They weren't children and should have known better.  19 year old Paul Dhaliwal was on probation from an earlier drunk driving incident. His blood alcohol level the night of the attack was twice the legal level, 0.16. Now he wants a lot of money from the San Francisco Zoo for endangerment because that's what his high profile attorney says he deserves.  What is happening in our country?  You do something foolish and then expect to be rewarded with millions for the consequences of your crime?  I remember a very upsetting story where a family dog bit a paperboy who had broken into their house when they were away.  The dog was put down for being loyal and protecting his property.  The boy's family later sued the dog owner.

I know many people feel badly and think that the trauma of being mauled by a wild beast is punishment enough.  Maybe it is.  But if they get off scot-free with a hug, the next time they're out partying and raising hell, they might drive head-on into a family.  On New Year's Eve an entire family of 5, including a 6 month old baby, was wiped out by one man who was driving drunk.  He survived. 

For these men, the victim was an animal, so no sympathy goes out to her.  Who will be their next victim? 

I thought this was so funny that I wanted to post it in case it was missed.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080119/ap_on_fe_st/odd_candidate_doctored_photo

They should have used the body of a jackass! 

Great ad for a group.  From Craig's List.

(I deleted the person's email address next to 'reply to')

Moron gatherings-
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Reply to:

Date: 2008-01-14, 1:53PM EST

We are starting a group for fairly stupid, narrow minded people to get together and stare at each other. Not much going to happen at the meetings, just maybe mumble a bit, exchange some meaningless banter and then leave.
Lets get together-

Location: Plymouth
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 538872936

This is a good article.  I really don't think I have to add anything to it. 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080114/ap_po/sexism_racism;_ylt=AlA1Wiqh4X6h7zK4D5dcTsAb.3QA

I'm angry at this moment.  A few days ago I first heard the story about a 20 year old female marine that was missing.  She had been missing for weeks and nobody took that seriously, even though she was about to testify at a trial. She was also 8 months pregnant with a baby boy.  Last year she accused a superior of raping her and has been harassed ever since.  Well into her pregnancy she was attacked from behind and then punched in the face but was unable to identify her assailant. More recently, her car was "keyed" by someone on the base.

During the past week, I've heard reporters quote her mother (turns out she is not her birth parent) calling her a "clingy child" who called several times a week. She also said she "didn't always tell the whole truth" and she was borderline "bi-polar." I will bet real money this describes a lot of people on Lottery Post too.

My question is, what does this have to do with the fact that a 20 year old pregnant woman disappeared from the face of the Earth?  Let's imagine that 22 year old John Smith is found murdered in his home. Would they say "He was clingy and called home every day" or "He was a wonderful son. He called home everyday to talk to his Mom & Dad." 

Whether a person is beautiful, plain, thin or fat, White or Black, young or old, male or female, when that person is a victim of rape or assault, he/she has been violated.  Yet when a woman is raped, beaten or stalked, in many instances her character is torn apart.  Her reputation is challenged.  A car theft is treated with more compassion.

Now that so much time has been wasted on deciding whether or not she "ran away" her charred remains have been found in a grave in the backyard of the accused.  Both she and the 8 month old fetus were brutalized and burned.

She asked for protection and she didn't get it.  A brave woman who stood up to the military and said, "I need to be heard" was silenced.  She and her son will never get their justice. So I guess she wasn't lying after all.   

Rest in Peace, Maria & Baby Boy 

If you have young children, you probably want them to grow up with strong, healthy bones and teeth.  So you follow the advice of your trusted doctor and dentist as any good parent does.

One of the things we've been told since most of us were born is that fluoride is good for our teeth and that drinking fluoridated water is essential for our good health.  The water in the United States has been fluoridated for over 60 years. The reason I began a little research is that when I had a fluoride treatment for tooth sensitivity, my teeth turned very yellow.  So I wanted to see where fluoride came from, since it's something we take for granted, just like 99% of the ingredients on labels. I believe if a company used the French word for rat poison and put it on ice cream most of us would never notice it.  After all, if something is made in the USA and sold in the USA then it must be good for us, right?

Did you know that it was proven many years ago that fluoride is a poison that causes cancer, bone loss and is associated with brain disorders?  I am sure that while many of you read this, you will be saying it's just another one of those conspiracy theories. So think about this for a minute.  For how many years did the big tobacco companies poison us without admitting that they knew smoking causes cancer?

Several reports published by research scientists explain how the use of fluoride in our water came about during the manufacturing and testing of the atom bomb. So I guess we've been human guinea pigs for many years. 

Please read this article, not for me, but for you and your family. 

http://www.apfn.org/THEWINDS/archive/medical/fluoride01-98.html

Have you ever wondered why we take so much calcium (now added to almost everything we eat & drink) and still have such a high rate of osteoporosis?  Could it be that we have more fluoride in our water than anywhere else?  Fluoride has been proven to cause brittle bones.

As one article says: 

"Fluoride is a pollutant - a by-product of copper, iron and aluminum manufacturing. The problem of how to legally dispose of fluoride was solved in the 1930's when a study (funded by one of the country's largest aluminum companies) concluded that fluoride prevented tooth decay. A successful public relations effort, helped along with some cooperative government cronies, resulted in the good news going out: this miracle chemical, when added to water supplies, will give everyone healthy teeth and brighter smiles."

Are you shaking your head and smiling, or does this give you pause? Maybe some of these studies will:

http://www.fluoridealert.org/

FLUORIDE, TEETH, AND THE ATOMIC BOMB
By Joel Griffiths and Chris Bryson

http://www.fluoridation.com/atomicbomb.htm

Bibliography of Scientific Literature on Fluoride
http://www.slweb.org/bibliography.html

FLUORIDE AND THE BRAIN
http://www.slweb.org/bibliography.html#brain

SPEEDING UP THE AGING PROCESS - FLUORIDE: THE AGING FACTOR
http://www.cyberclass.net/flourideaging.htm

Evidence Of Fraud In The Matter Of Water Fluoridation
http://www.rvi.net/~fluoride/iom-fraud.htm

Fluorine is a Deadly Poison
http://www.bragg.com/fact_sheets/fluoride_03.html

http://www.oasisadvancedwellness.com/learning/dangers-flouride-toothpaste.html

I guess now we know why our toothpaste warns "do not swallow."

I saw a very sad story on the evening news 2 nights ago, although I can't find anything about it online.  (let me know if you do)  I believe it is completely true.  An elderly lady walked into 7-11 in North Naples FL and left her keys in the car with her beloved companion, a 12 year old c**ker spaniel, in the back seat. This exact same crime happened in Nov when someone stopped at that 7-11 to make a phone call and her 14 year old labrador was in the car.  According to that earlier story, the owner grabbed the thief and tried to pull him out of the car, but he still was able to drive off with the car & dog.  Very strange. Sad, but still strange. I guess I simply can't get into the head of a criminal (thank goodness) who is brazen enough to carjack a vehicle at such a public location.  I'm not sure if any crimes have been reported at our local 7-11.  I often see cops hanging around there. It's frequented by tourists in wet bathing suits, so they probably keep a close eye on that location or try to keep the negative stories from the media.  Maybe I'll park closer to the front door next time.

Why do people leave their keys in the car? 

When searching for this local article to see if the dog was found, I came across a similar story in MN.  That story apparently hit the headlines in St. Paul and was on the evening news.  But look at this update that the dog's owners wrote.  Sounds suspicious to me.

http://frenchtown.com/brutus/

One of the calls came from Michael E., his fiancée is in a coma at a local Hospital. She has shown signs of improvement and saw the news coverage and told Mike to call and to offer money for a reward. I spoke with Mike and told him that Hospitals are expensive and that they should keep their money.

Huh?  How does someone in a coma watch tv news coverage?  Maybe I'm reading too much into it, and am not as trusting as I should be, but it's possible for anyone to cry "my car was stolen and my dog was in the back seat."  Then the owners started a fund to raise money for a reward and they have a web site too with photos.  (They found the car, but no dog.)  Oh -  and this happened on Christmas Eve too.  Sounds fishy to me. Guess watching stories like Susan Smith who cried "please find my babies" after she drowned them in her car have jaded me a little.

Anyway, I hope the woman finds her c**ker spaniel. You could tell she was in shock when the reporters were sticking their microphones in her face.  She kept pleading that she didn't care if they kept the car, but her dog is on medication and needs to be returned soon.  Same story, same store.  That area used to be very safe.  Wish I could afford to move back to Captiva or Sanibel Island.  When I lived on the islands someone committed a robbery and the police didn't even have to chase the idiot.  They just called the person at the drawbridge! 

By the way,  I was very surprised at how many Google results came up about cars stolen with pets inside. 

After reading the many posts on systems, I am reminded of a chat I had years ago with a friend about grammar and its rules while discussing how difficult it is to learn a new language.

We were taught "I before E except after C"  When someone who is trying to learn how to spell and pronounce English asks "what about the words neighbor, weight and vein?" what do you say?  So you think about it and answer "Let's now say the rule is I before E except after C or when pronounced like an A as in neighbor and weigh."  Another student is puzzled by the words deity and society.  You tell him those are also exceptions because deity has 3 syllables (de-i-ty) and society has 4 syllables (so-ci-e-ty)  But wait! 

You begin to say "well, it's not really a science" and you suddenly realize that the very word 'science' doesn't follow the rule either.  After all, in this case, the I is after the C, so why isn't it spelled sceince?  Of course it's because it's pronounced 'sigh-ence' but it's still an exception.  But what about conscience and efficient?

So you now have a headache and pour yourself a cup of coffee which has 'caffeine' in it, and you think "Gee, that's weird."  Do you conclude that this so-called rule is a neither a rule or a system?  You begin to list all of all the exceptions and write down as many as eighty words. (okay, that sounds like the letter A)    So many exceptions....

Assuming there aren't thousands of words with ei or ie that do not follow the "I before E" rule, one can argue that if the rule is followed most of the time, the word will be spelled correctly.  So it really isn't like a jackpot game with millions of combinations or even a pick-5 game with 376K.  However, if you always apply this "rule" and one day participate in a challenging spelling bee with very tough competition, you will probably lose.

The day of the great debate came. Moishe and the Pope sat opposite each other for a full minute before the Pope raised his hand and showed three fingers. Moishe looked back at him and raised one finger. The Pope waved his fingers in a circle around his head. Moishe pointed to the ground where he sat. The Pope pulled out a wafer and a glass of wine. Moishe pulled out an apple. The Pope stood up and said, "I give up. This man is too good. The Jews can stay."

An hour later, the cardinals were all around the Pope asking him what happened. The Pope said: "First I held up three fingers to represent the Trinity. He responded by holding up one finger to remind me that there was still one God common to both our religions. Then I waved my finger around me to show him that God was all around us. He responded by pointing to the ground and showing that God was also right here with us. I pulled out the wine and the wafer to show that God absolves us from our sins. He pulled out an apple to remind me of original sin. He had an answer for everything. What could I do?"

Meanwhile, the Jewish community had crowded around Moishe. "What happened?" they asked. "Well," said Moishe, "First he said to me that the Jews had three days to get out of here. I told him that not one of us was leaving. Then he told me that this whole city would be cleared of Jews. I let him know that we were staying right here." "And then?" asked a woman. "I don't know," said Moishe. "He took out his lunch and I took out mine."

It is currently 31 F with wind gust blowing at 25mph.  I am very cold.   I guess everyone should expect to be drinking frozen orange juice this year. 

Actually, I shouldn't joke about the freeze, since the orange crop is very important to our citrus growers and, of course, the farmhands who pick the fruit.

Speaking of the cold, even in FL people need shelter from the weather and so do pets.  Although I'm not a big fan of keeping your animals outdoors anyway, make sure that you take them in on cold evenings.  If for some reason this isn't possible, straw, hay or blankets should be provided on your front porch or in the garage (if you have one) and a makeshift shelter with some boards is always another choice.  Remember, the ground is very cold and you wouldn't want to lie on it either.

This couple in Florida found a rare pearl in their evening meal.  The story is even in Forbes.  I've occasionally found a hair or an eggshell.  Once I found a bone in some soup. I wonder if I should have had it analyzed and appraised.  Maybe it was a fossilized tyrannosaurus bone and I'd be in the news. After all, with my teeth, if I bit into something as hard as a pearl, the headlines would read "Diner Sore" 

http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/01/State/Plate_of_clams_hatche.shtml

I came across this story because I am thinking of relocating to North or South Carolina (like so many other Florida residents) and read the local news sometimes. 

Notice the sentence "her 81 year old daughter took care of her."  She was lucky to have a living child at her age.  If she was really 113, then my Dad could have been her son, and he was 1 week away from 93 when he died.  The saddest thing is to see all your loved ones leave as you get older, but it sounds as if she had a good life.  "She had four children, 15 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren and 40 great-great-grandchildren." My paternal grandmother was 106 when she died, although nobody was really certain about her birth year like the woman in this story. 

One thing not mentioned in the article is the Lottery or PB.  So I guess you really can live a long and happy life even if you don't win!  Sure, I want to win some money to make my life a lot easier, but money won't pay for the sun to set or the birds to sing. 

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/14925937/detail.html

Although it was very chilly last night and the temperature dropped down to 42 degrees, I didn't need to run the air conditioning (yay!) and got some fresh air.  No matter how often I change the filter, the inside air is stale & dusty, and I sneeze constantly.  So this is a nice treat!  Right now it is 58, which is very cold for South Florida, but it feels refreshing to me. Tonight it will dip down again below 50, but will rise to the mid 70s by Tues afternoon.  Since we are so close to the winter solstice, the hours of sunlight are short, but the sky is a pretty shade of blue today. 

I just read that back home where I grew up it's been snowing and the Northeast has been blanketed with a heavy snowfall.  I know snow can create problems and endanger lives, but at least they're going to have a white Christmas this year.  I used to love putting on my snowsuit to go outside to build a snowman.   When there was a lot of snow, my best friend & I would build tunnels made of snow and crawl through them.  No video games, no color television sets, no cell phones or iPods - just homemade sleighs made out of cardboard.  One of my other friends had a tobaggan.  We'd drag it across the street to the golf course where there was a hill and all hop on board and shout "wiiiiiii"  That was before Nintendo. LOL   

No matter where you live, I hope your weather isn't too severe and your day will be full of sunshine. 

I saw a kitty in my backyard so I put out a little milk, although I realize it's not the best thing.  I just wasn't sure if it was hungry.  He (or she) was skittish, but ran up to the plate as soon as I closed the door.  I looked through my cabinets and found a can of Pedigree dog food and put a scoop on another plate with a little milk.  The cat came back and licked up all the milk but left the dog food.

When he got close, he looked very well fed, but that could be fur.  So he's probably someone's pet.

My question is this - if humans are starving they'll usually eat anything. A dog will eat it's own poo.  Will a hungry cat pass up a plate of dog food?  My experience is that animals will eat anything edible if they're very hungry. 

This is always one of those double-edged swords.  I was putting a bowl of dry cat food out at night, but the raccoons were probably eating it (or maybe the squirrels) and there are a lot of people who keep their pets outdoors. I also have so many ants that usually the bowl was covered in them in the morning if there was any food left.  Once a little boy knocked on my door and asked me to stop feeding his cat since she wasn't going home at night.  I couldn't tell a 9 year old that his Mom should neuter her animals and treat the fleas. The cat was pregnant and needed to be in a home.

So is dog food just for dogs?  Now I've got 3/4 of a can of Pedigree in the fridge (boy does that smell!) so tonight I'll put it outside and maybe whatever creatures roam at night will eat it up quickly.