That's Rock N Roll For Ya

Bristol Motor Speedway

2009-09-01T17:19:00.001-04:00

Bristol Motor Speedway

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Keith Bilbrey Out At WSM Nashville

2009-03-11T17:56:00.001-04:00

Sorry to hear about his exit, loved his style on the air.

From The Tennessean newspaper

After 34 years with the company, WSM air personality Keith Bilbrey has been relieved of his duties.
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Keith will no longer be on the air, and will no longer serve as a Grand Ole Opry announcer.

“The station assured him he had done nothing to provoke this, it was that they are doing away with the midday show… it will be strictly voice tracked,” wrote Bilbrey’s wife, Emy-Joe Bellenfant-Bilbrey, in an email to music industry friends and associates.

Florida Woman Calls 911 Three Times About Running Out Of McNuggets

2009-03-05T17:51:00.000-05:00

Facebook | FOXNews.com - Florida Woman Calls 911 After McDonald's Runs Out of McNuggets - Local News | News Art

A Florida woman called 911 three times after she paid for a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets at a McDonald's but the fast-food restaurant ran out of them and refused to give her a refund.

Latreasa L. Goodman, 27, made the calls after she tried to get her money back from a Fort Pierce McDonald's and the cashier told her all sales were final. Police released the 911 tapes.

"This is an emergency. If I would have known they didn't have McNuggets, I wouldn't have given my money, and now she wants to give me a McDouble, but I don't want one," police quoted her as saying. "This is an emergency."

The cashier suggested she choose something else off the menu of equal value to the McNuggets, and offered the restaurant's cheeseburger called the McDouble.

"She's trying to force me to eat something off the menu and I don't want it," Goodman told 911.

The first dispatcher, a woman, asks if there's a manager there, but listens to Goodman's complaints and says she's sending someone.

The second, male dispatcher tells her he's aware of the incident and "we've got an officer coming out there to talk to you."

Police say Goodman was cited on a misuse of 911 charge. A current phone listing for Goodman couldn't be found.

A McDonald's spokesman said Goodman should have been given a refund, and she's being sent a gift card for a free meal.

Stranger Hits Dead Man At His Funeral

2009-03-05T17:32:00.001-05:00

Stranger Hits Dead Man:Officials Release Report and Tickets | wltx.com

Laurens County (The Greenville News) - Tammy Fausel said that she and her family were shocked at what happened during her uncle's funeral in Gray Court.

A Candler, N.C., woman danced in front of the service, waved a wand around the casket, opened the lid, laid her hands on the deceased's head and struck the body with a wand, according to an incident report from the Laurens County Sheriff's Office.

Nicole Marie Loretta Leonard, 25, has been charged with disturbing a funeral and public disorderly conduct in Tuesday's incident, according to tickets.

Fausel said she had never before seen the woman and had no idea why she would've been at funeral at Church of God on State 14.

"Everybody was just kind of flabbergasted," she said. "They didn't know what was going on."

The woman took flowers from the top of the casket and threw them at the family before leaving in a burgundy Toyota, according to the report.

Fausel said she called the Sheriff's Office.

A lieutenant intercepted a burgundy Toyota Corolla heading south on Interstate 385, according to the incident report.

When deputies asked the woman why she acted the way she did, the woman said "she felt that it was the right thing to do at the time," according to the report. The woman told deputies she knew no one at the church, according to the report.

Fausel said the deceased's immediate family was in another room at the time of the incident and didn't witness it.

Leonard, of 117 Davis Creek, was released from the Johnson Detention Center Wednesday, according to jail officials and tickets.

More Snow Pictures

2009-03-01T10:48:00.003-05:00

A few more of the snow pictures that I took on Monday (Feb 23)

Why Hair Goes Gray

2009-03-01T10:27:00.001-05:00

Study Blames a Chain Reaction That Makes Hair Bleach Itself From the Inside Out

By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Feb. 25, 2009 -- Scientists may have figured out why hair turns gray, and their finding may open the door to new anti-graying strategies.

New research shows that hair turns gray as a result of a chemical chain reaction that causes hair to bleach itself from the inside out.

The process starts when there is a dip in levels of an enzyme called catalase. That catalase shortfall means that the hydrogen peroxide that naturally occurs in hair can't be broken down. So hydrogen peroxide builds up in the hair, and because other enzymes that would repair hydrogen peroxide's damage are also in short supply, the hair goes gray.

Putting the brakes on that chemical chain reaction "could have great implications in the hair graying scenario in humans," write the researchers, who included Karin Schallreuter, a professor clinical and experimental dermatology at England's University of Bradford.

The study appears online in The FASEB Journal; the FASEB is the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

Broadcast Icon Paul Harvey Passes Away Saturday

2009-02-28T22:18:00.001-05:00

58-year broadcast veteran, Paul Harvey, has passed away.

Reports are the-90-year old broadcast legend died surrounded by family at a hospital in Phoenix.

One of the most recognized voices and a fixture in American broadcasting for more than 50 years, passed away Saturday in Phoenix.

ABC Radio Networks announced that Paul Harvey was surrounded by his family at a hospital near where he had a winter home. No cause of death was announced according to the Associated Press.

Harvey had not only been aired locally on 1450 WATA over the years, but had been heard nationally since 1951.

"Stand by for news!" reached 24 million listeners at the peak of Harvey's career according to AP, as the broadcast was carried by more than 1,200 radio stations.

"The Rest Of The Story" began hitting the airwaves in 1976.

Harvey's wife Angel, also a Radio Hall of Fame member, passed away in May 2008.

ABC Radio Network's President, James Robinson, released the following statement Saturday:

"Paul Harvey was one of the most gifted and beloved broadcasters in our nation’s history. As he delivered the news each day with his own unique style and commentary, his voice became a trusted friend in American households. His career in radio spanned more than seven decades, during which time countless millions of listeners were both informed and entertained by his “News & Comment” and “Rest of the Story” features. Even after the passing of his loving wife Angel in May 2008, Paul would not slip quietly into retirement as he continued to take the microphone and reach out to his audience. We will miss our dear friend tremendously and are grateful for the many years we were so fortunate to have known him. Our thoughts and prayers are now with his son Paul Jr. and the rest of the Harvey family."

Paul Harvey's son, Paul Harvey Jr., also released a statement Saturday. Harvey Jr. said:

"My father and mother created from thin air what one day became radio and television news. So in the past year, an industry has lost its godparents and today millions have lost a friend."

To Get In The Snow Mood

2009-02-27T22:39:00.003-05:00

With our forecast in the High Country calling for snow this weekend I thought this would be the perfect time to share pictures that I took on Monday Feb 23 during our last snow event. You can click on the pics for a larger view.

NC Ski Resorts Want To Limit Lawsuits

2009-02-27T21:47:00.001-05:00

From Asheville Citizen-Times reporter Jordan Schrader

Legislation filed at the behest of North Carolina's mountain ski resorts would limit their liability to lawsuits filed by injured skiers.

Under a bill filed Thursday, skiers would assume responsibility for collisions with trees or snowmaking equipment or accidents due to bare spots or terrain variations.

I wrote about this idea last year when Sen. Steve Goss was pushing for it. (Here's a link to the site of a group that posted that story. It's expired on our site.)

This year, Reps. Cullie Tarleton, Bruce Goforth, Phil Frye and Ray Rapp are on board.

Wilkes County's NASCAR track gets new life..for now.

2009-02-27T08:33:00.000-05:00

*Winston-Salem Journal*

Published: February 26, 2009

NORTH WILKESBORO

A developer has signed a short-term lease with the owner of North Wilkesboro Speedway and has plans to start a new racing series and reality show there.

Charles Collins, who says that he is a 43-year-old Georgia native and developer, has set up an office at the speedway and has keys for the locks.

During a tour yesterday, Collins said he has a short-term lease with Bruton Smith, the billionaire owner of the speedway.

"Yes, sir, I believe he does," Smith said in a telephone interview. Smith said he didn't know details of Collins' plans, but that the lease is for about three months.

The speedway is still for sale for $12 million to "whoever comes with the money first," Smith said.

Collins says he plans to produce a reality racing show there called Women So U Think U Can Race? He also said he plans to start a racing series for women called the AWESOME Racing Series. AWESOME stands for for All Women Stockcar Oval Motorsports Event.

"We're seeking women that want to go bumper to bumper," he said.

Collins said he hopes to start production of the show at the speedway in March or April and to have ticketed events for the public. He also plans to promote concerts there, he said.

Burned in the past by people who have announced pie-in-the-sky plans to buy and revitalize the North Wilkesboro Speedway but never did, officials in Wilkes County don't know quite what to make of the latest prospect.

Linda Cheek, the president of the Wilkes County Chamber of Commerce and the point person for the county's Blue Ridge National Heritage Area's priority initiative to revamp the speedway, said she doesn't know what to think. She has heard a lot of people talking about Collins but has never spoken to him.

"I don't know if he's for real or not," she said.

Don Alexander, the director of the Wilkes Economic Development Corp., wouldn't answer any questions about Collins but issued a two-sentence statement that was approved by the county attorney.

"Mr. Collins has informed the Wilkes Economic Development Corporation of his plans for the North Wilkesboro Speedway, and has continually updated our office with regard to his efforts and progress," the statement said. "His vision for the North Wilkesboro Speedway, if realized, would be a very major development for Wilkes County, one which would have a significant and positive impact on the economy here."

Collins, who said he has been working on the project for the past year and has been in town for about four months, wouldn't say exactly where he had come from. He wouldn't answer specific questions about his past experience but said that he is a property developer who has built houses and had done some shopping-center renovations.

He talked about needing sponsors for the new efforts.

He said he can understand why people are skeptical about plans for the speedway.

"They had so many people come in and say, ‘We're going to do this,' and ‘I got a dream,'" he said. "I'm a reality man. I work to make it happen. I push to make it happen and don't give up. I'm a seeker for success. I can make it work."

He said he hopes to eventually buy the speedway.

In a 2002 interview, Smith said that the track is worn out and needs to be repaved, and that there are sewer problems there. Yesterday, Smith said that for what Collins is going to do right now, those improvements won't be necessary.

Collins said that the track is still in good shape. He said that the sewer is fine, and they can use portable toilets until eventually bringing in a main sewer line.

"I got big plans for this place, and that's about as far as I'm going to go," Collins said. "We're getting ready to crank this place up."

What does Duke's Nolan Smith and the movie Friday have in common?

2009-02-27T08:21:00.000-05:00

To quote the most famous line from the movie Friday "You just got knocked the **** out!". It however was a legal screen.

Colleges Warning Spring Breakers About Mexica

2009-02-27T08:12:00.000-05:00

*from Asheville Citzen Times*

The U.S. State Department and universities around the country are warning college students headed for Mexico for some spring-break partying of a surge in drug-related murder and mayhem south of the border.

“We're not necessarily telling students not to go, but we're going to certainly alert them,” said Tom Dougan, vice president for student affairs at the University of Rhode Island. “There have been Americans kidnapped, and if you go, you need to be very aware and very alert to this fact.”

More than 100,000 high school- and college-age Americans travel to Mexican resort areas during spring break each year. Much of the drug violence is happening in border towns, and tourists have generally not been targeted, though there have been killings in the big spring-break resorts of Acapulco and Cancun, well away from the border.

At Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, it's standard operating procedure to advise students to use caution wherever they go during spring break, whether it's home, to the beach, out of the country or on an alternative spring break service-learning activity, Jane Adams-Dunford, WCU's assistant vice chancellor for student affairs, wrote in an e-mail.

WCU's spring break is next week.

High Country Pic

2009-02-21T19:55:00.002-05:00

I admit full well that I am no where near the league of Blue Ridge Blog when it comes to pictures, but then again if you put her in a radio station then well I win LOL.

But I have become interested in taking better pictures. So with a new camera and a lot of learning to do I present some of my first pictures of the area with a "real" camera.

At least someone on TV has a clue

2009-02-19T15:18:00.002-05:00

Kudos to CNBC's Rick Santelli for setting it straight on a cable news show

Ante Up! S.C. Judge Rules Texas Hold 'Em Is A Skill

2009-02-19T15:04:00.000-05:00

Ante Up! S.C. Judge Rules Texas Hold 'Em Is A Skill - Charlotte News Story

Ante Up! S.C. Judge Rules Texas Hold 'Em Is A Skill

Thursday, February 19, 2009
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. -- A South Carolina judge has ruled that Texas Hold 'em poker is a game of skill, a ruling that could prevent police from arresting people taking part in a friendly game of poker.

Mount Pleasant Municipal Judge Larry Duffy on Thursday wrote that there is "overwhelming" evidence that the card game is one of skill, not chance. State law outlaws gambling on games of chance with cards or dice.

In the past several years, police in South Carolina have raided homes to break up poker games.

Still, Duffy's order doesn't help the case of five men he found guilty of operating a gambling house, who must now pay fines.

About 20 people were arrested in that raid almost three years ago. The others settled their cases by payi

Top 10 Sites Parents Don't Want Kids To See

2009-02-19T14:47:00.000-05:00

*From Business Insider.com*

Top 10 Sites Parents Don't Want Kids To See

What Web sites do parents, schools, and small businesses censor the most on their networks? Porn? Time wasters? Shopping? Social networks? All of the above!

These are currently the ten most-blocked Web sites on home, school, and small business networks, via OpenDNS's domain filtering tool.

1. MySpace.com
2. Facebook.com
3. YouTube.com
4. Playboy.com
5. Ebay.com
6. Meebo.com
7. Friendster.com
8. Orkut.com
9. AdultFriendFinder.com
10. Espn.com

What's OpenDNS? A San Francisco-based startup offering free DNS -- domain name system -- tools for homes, schools, and small businesses. We've been using them for years at home just because they speed up our Internet. But they're increasingly catching on for their anti-phishing and parental filtering tools.

The company has 10 million users, 20 employees, and is profitable -- making money from Yahoo search ads that show up when people mistype domain names.

At CES, OpenDNS announced that Netgear will be bundling their filtering and anti-phishing software with its routers. The company recently appointed former VMware exec Nand Mulchandani as chief executive.

Dolly Parton to receive honorary doctorate from UT

2009-02-19T14:42:00.000-05:00

Dolly Parton to receive honorary doctorate from UT | CITIZEN-TIMES.com | Asheville Citizen-Times

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Entertainer and philanthropist Dolly Parton will receive an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Tennessee.

Pending Board of Trustees approval, Parton will receive a doctorate of humane and musical letters during spring commencement May 8, honoring her not only for her role as a musician and entertainer but also for her work as an advocate for education.
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In 1996, she founded the Imagination Library program in her native Sevier County, providing children with a new book every month from birth to 5 years of age. That program now has grown to serve 1,000 communities in all of Tennessee and parts of 46 other states, the United Kingdom and Canada.

The only other honorary doctorate UT has bestowed went to former U.S. Sen. Howard Baker Jr. — also a Tennessee native — in May 2005.

Chick-fil-A blessed with increased sales

2009-01-29T19:07:00.001-05:00

Chick-fil-A 'blessed' with increased sales | ajc.com

Chick-fil-A ‘blessed’ with increased sales
CEO credits affordable new menu and God for double-digit sales growth

By JOE GUY COLLIER

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Chick-fil-A credited a loyal customer base, affordable prices and menu upgrades for helping it increase sales in 2008. God’s blessing didn’t hurt, either, a company executive says.

The Atlanta-based chicken chain reported Thursday system-wide sales for last year of $2.96 billion, up 12 percent from 2007. The company has increased sales every year since the first Chick-fil-A opened in Atlanta’s Greenbriar Mall in 1967. It was the 16th straight year of double-digit sales growth.
• Photos: New menu | Family business | Cathy tries hand at pizza

Truett Cathy recovering from surgery

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Same-store sales rose 4.6 percent. The company added 83 stores, ending the year with 1,422 outlets.

Chick-fil-A benefited by being a lower-priced option for consumers, said Dan Cathy, Chick-fil-A’s president and chief operating officer.

“We’re not a high-end, plush restaurant with a $30 average ticket,” Cathy said. “Thankfully, we’re a much more affordable part of your day type expenditure.”

He also was quick to thank his customers and God for the year. The Cathy family, which keeps stores closed on Sundays, is known for its involvement in church and faith-based charities.

“I do think that God has blessed our business,” Cathy said.

Among restaurants, the fast-food category is holding up better in the recession than full-service, higher-end eateries. In 2008, U.S. sales at limited-service restaurants rose 2 percent, compared to a 2.5 percent drop for full-service restaurants, according to Technomic, a Chicago restaurant research and consulting firm.

Chick-fil-A is among the fast-food players that are staying ahead of the industry pace. McDonald’s Corp., the biggest fast-food chain in the world, also reported this week a 4 percent increase in U.S. same-store sales and an 8 percent increase in U.S. operating income.

McDonald’s, by the way, cited chicken products as one driver of growth. It introduced last year a Southern style chicken sandwich and biscuit that bears a strong resemblance to Chick-fil-A’s own offerings.

Chick-fil-A, a privately owned company, does not disclose profit data. While sales increased in 2008, the company is being cautious this year, Cathy said.

In 2009, Chick-fil-A expects to add 76 outlets, down slightly from last year. The company has delayed a move by some corporate headquarters employees into new office space.

It also will keep staffing levels even at the corporate headquarters south of Atlanta. Chick-fil-A has a corporate staff of 732 employees.

Chick-fil-A won’t have layoffs and will replace staff members if they leave, but investments and hiring will be focused at the store-level, Cathy said. The chain plans to renovate 65 restaurants this year.

“I think all of our staff knows that against the coming economic backdrop, with where their friends and neighbors are, we’re eternally grateful to have a job and be with a healthy business,” Cathy said. “We want to make sure it stays that way.”

Chick-fil-A is rolling out an initiative designed to take their customer service the “second mile.” The first-mile elements, as Cathy explained, are the basics of the business — a clean parking lot and restaurant, hot fries and a smiling staff.

As part of the second mile, Chick-fil-A is teaching etiquette to employees, starting with training sessions for store operators.

Company employees are already known for responding with “It’s my pleasure” to customer thank yous. As part of the next phase, employees might be walking through the dining room asking customers, “Sir, may I refresh your beverage?”

Chick-fil-A also has new products in the works. In 2008, Chick-fil-A completed an aggressive product rollout that included a new chargrilled chicken and fruit salad, larger chicken strips and a chicken salad sandwich with chunkier meat and new wheatberry bread.

The restaurant chain expects to add a peach flavored milkshake this summer, Cathy said. It’s also testing a spicy chicken sandwich in some markets that could be added in 2010, he said.

“We are always tweaking and refining,” Cathy said. “The challenge you have with a 63-year-old family business is: How do you continue to stay relevant with the customer? How do you continue to reshape the business, retool the business?”

Truett Cathy, Dan’s father, opened his first restaurant, the Dwarf House, in 1946 before going on to create Chick-fil-A.

One Hall of a debate set for NASCAR

2009-01-23T20:15:00.001-05:00

One Hall of a debate set for NASCAR

By Greer Smith

McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

Published: January 23, 2009

Now the debates can begin in earnest. Since NASCAR broke ground three years ago on its Hall of Fame in Charlotte, talk has occasionally swirled about how many people should go in the first year and who should be in the class.

There is no more speculation about the number that will be among the first class, now scheduled for induction when the Hall opens in May 2010 -- presumably in conjunction with race weeks at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The number for that class and all subsequent classes will be five, dashing the hopes of those who thought the first group should be as many as 10 to give the facility a kick start.

"Personally, I like five," Hall of Fame executive director Winston Kelley said. "As I fan, I like five because you get to focus on five people every year and they get their due. It could have been four or could have been six. Some people said, "You need a bunch of people in there early.' I didn't like that concept and gave my feedback to NASCAR."

The Hall will be located in downtown Charlotte and will be part of a complex that includes a 20-story office tower, studios of NASCAR's media group, a retail/restaurant building, parking and convention area space.

Those elected to the Hall will have their likenesses placed in a rotunda-like Hall of Honor that will be a centerpiece of the exhibit space. Other features of the Hall include an area known as the Great Hall, an area of changing exhibits, displays that detail what happens during a race weekend and will include a team transporter, a section known as Heritage Speedway that details the sanctioning body's history and technical evolution, and a section where patrons can choose any of 50 greatest finishes.

The first five inductees will be chosen from a list of 25 nominees that will be selected from a 20-member committee that includes Kelley, Hall historian Buzz McKim, seven NASCAR officials, seven track owners and reps from four historic short tracks -- one of those Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem.

Those selected to the Hall will be the five receiving the most votes from a committee of 47 people plus one vote that will be entered from the top-five in fan voting to the Hall of Fame Web site. The voting committee includes the nominating committee, 14 media reps, drivers, owners, crew chiefs and reps from the four car makes in the sport.

Drivers must compete for a minimum of 10 years and have been retired from driving for three years. Non-drivers must work in the industry for 10 years.

The 25 nominees will be announced in June. Voting will be completed by Sept. 15, with the results to be announced in October.

"People can go to the Web site and put their five selections, and your five and my five may not be the same," Kelley said. "If we have four alike, then you could say "why this person and not that person.' That's going to be the same from years 1 and 2 and years 8 and 9 and years 14 and 15. You'll keep that debate."

And there will be plenty of debate, because there are enough deserving candidates from NASCAR's 60 years to fill several classes without trouble.

The argument for many of those who will be considered is not if they belong in the Hall but when they deserve to be inducted.

That even applies to who needs to be in the first class.

At least three people should be locks as solid as ice in Alaska. Those would be NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. and seven-time champions Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr.

As for the other two: It's hard to deny that David Pearson should be in with his 105 victories that are second to Petty's 200 and titles in all three years that he attempted to win the championship.

The fifth person could be Bill France Jr. (who guided the Cup Series' growth into a national sport); or R.J. Reynolds executives Ralph Seagraves or T. Wayne Robertson, who took promotion of the sport to a higher level through Winston cigarette sponsorships; or Junior Johnson (winner of 50 races as a driver and six championships as a car owner); or a driver from the earlier days such as Fireball Roberts, the first superspeedway ace; or a short-track legend such as eight-time Modified champion Richie Evans.

Because it is a NASCAR Hall of Fame instead of a Cup shrine and I have a soft spot for short track racing in general and modifieds in particular, my pick for the fifth spot is Evans, the New Yorker who held the record for most championships in any division for two decades, was versatile enough that he could win anywhere (including Bowman Gray and once embarrassing the competition in a Modified race at Daytona) and certainly would have won more titles if he had not been killed in a crash at Martinsville Speedway.

For the second-year selections, I'd start with the trio of Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison -- all Cup champions with 80-plus victories.

The younger Bill France gets one slot. The other goes to Johnson.

The third year: Dale Inman (who was the crew chief behind six of Richard Petty's championships and one of Terry Labonte's titles); Herb Thomas (the first two-time Cup champ who was the first three-time winner of the Southern 500 on the way to getting 48 wins); two-time champ and winner of 46 races Buck Baker; and Rusty Wallace (one title, 55 wins).

The fourth year: Roberts, whose 33 wins includes four of the first 10 at Daytona; Ned Jarrett, who won 50 races and two championships before going on to TV work on CBS and ESPN; two-time champ Tim Flock with 39 wins; team owner Glen Wood, whose cars have won 96 races and was noted for revolutionizing pit stops in the 1960s; and Fred Lorenzen, who made his mark on the superspeedways while winning 26 times in the early '60s and becoming the first to win $100,000 in a season.

Fifth year: Legendary driver Curtis Turner; early Nationwide Series champs Sam Ard and Jack Ingram; Bobby Isaac, a winner of 37 races and a Cup championship; and RJR exec Seagraves.

Cops Bust Meth Lab at Arkansas Funeral Home

2009-01-09T22:49:00.001-05:00

Cops Bust Meth Lab at Funeral Home | NBC New York

A funeral home might be a place for eternal rest, but police say an Arkansas man saw an opportunity to build a methamphetamine lab undisturbed by the living.

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From mermaids to flying pigs check out these pictures of off-beat, interesting happenings from around the world.

There was just one problem—the funeral home was across the street from the sheriff's office.

Officers say Robert Lee Lewis left the light on in the basement of the Higginbotham Funeral Home in Walnut Ridge on Dec. 3. Officers noticed the light on after hours and walked into the funeral home through an open door.

Inside, police say they found all the components necessary to build a meth lab. Officers arrested the former funeral home employee when he returned.

The 43-year-old faces several drug charges and is free on $2,500 bond pending a Jan. 21 court hearing.

A telephone number for Lewis could not be found Thursday night.

Cowboy churches rope in new Christians

2009-01-08T19:31:00.001-05:00

Cowboy churches rope in new Christians - Kingsport Times-News Online

Cowboy churches rope in new Christians
By Associated Press

Published January 7th, 2009

WAXAHACHIE, Texas — Moments after flying headfirst onto the arena floor dirt, the man gets up and brushes off his protective vest as rodeo clowns rush in to distract the still-bucking bull.

The crowd cheers as the announcer reveals he’s fine, just before the chute opens with another cowboy atop a menacing bull.

But this isn’t a typical rodeo. It’s an outreach ministry of the Cowboy Church of Ellis County, which has grown from about 300 to 2,200 members since it began nearly nine years ago. The church about 30 miles south of Dallas now bills itself as the world’s largest cowboy church.

The movement is about 40 years old but has grown rapidly in recent years, especially among Baptists. The Midland, N.C.-based Cowboy Church Network of North America, supported by the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Missions Board, has started dozens of churches in 12 states and Canada since 2003.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas has launched about 140 cowboy churches since 2000 — the first in Ellis County. The congregations now perform about 10 percent of all baptisms among the group’s 5,700 churches statewide, officials said.

“It appeals to you because it’s ‘come as you are,’” said Chris Maddox, who attends the Cowboy Church of Ellis County. “You don’t feel judged based on how you’re dressed, how you talk, how you look. We’re not asking somebody to be something they’re not.”

Churchgoers wear cowboy hats and jeans, sing hymns accompanied by a country band and get baptized in horse troughs. Churches vary. Some have Western-theme sanctuaries; others meet in barns or on rodeo grounds, some on weeknights.

A few months ago the Cowboy Church of Mobile, Ala., started meeting at a nightclub called The Whiskey on one Sunday each month — when the bar is normally closed for business.

On summer Sundays in Jackson Hole, Wyo., horse whisperer Grant Golliher leads cowboy church services at the Diamond Cross Ranch. As he works with an abused or unbroken horse in the arena, he talks to the crowd about biblical parallels, and about an hour later he is able to ride the animal.

“We use an out-of-the-box method to get people to come, because people have so many walls up with church,” said Golliher. He’s not ordained but calls himself a “horse trainer with a message.”

Organizers say the churches attract everyone from rodeo participants and farmers to country music lovers and people who embrace the western lifestyle. Some don’t fall into any of those categories, but say they just haven’t felt comfortable in traditional churches.

“I met a man in a feed store who said he hadn’t been to church in 40 years, and now he’s going to a cowboy church,” said the Rev. Jeff Smith, a North Carolina pastor who founded the cowboy church network five years ago.

Larger cowboy churches have arenas and offer rodeo events, mainly to attract new members. They have brief devotions and sometimes baptize new believers in an outdoor trough.

“What a family life center is to a traditional church, an arena is to a cowboy church,” said the Rev. Charles Higgs, director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ Western Heritage Ministries.

Matt Ward, 15, who plans to become a professional bull rider, was among dozens who rode bulls earlier this month at a weekly event at the Cowboy Church of Ellis County’s arena. He attends another church near his hometown of Saginaw about 50 miles away, but came to the rodeo event because a friend recommended it.

“At other places, all they want to do is drink beer,” Ward said, referring to non-church arenas. “But there are a lot of nice people here, and it’s a lot safer.”

Some Baptist leaders say their cowboy churches have grown so quickly because they offer an alternative for those who associate churches with long sermons and pressure to donate or accept Jesus as their savior.

Many cowboy churches never mention tithing and don’t have offering plates; they tuck envelopes into the service programs or put boots out for those who want to give. Also, some pastors don’t have “altar calls” but encourage folks who want to follow Christ to see a minister privately.

“People think we’ve hung boots and hats on traditional Baptist churches, but we found a plan that was radically different,” said the Rev. Ron Nolen, executive director of the American Fellowship of Cowboy Churches and its Texas counterpart.

The Texas Fellowship of Cowboy Churches, which supports the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and the Cowboy Church Network of North America each have “schools” in which they teach people how to start cowboy churches. The new congregations are being formed at a time when attendance and baptism rates have stagnated in a large number of traditional churches, including many in the Southern Baptist Convention.

At a recent Sunday morning service at the Cowboy Church of Ellis County, the Rev. Jess McCabe, a visiting pastor, held up different sizes of deer antlers to illustrate his sermon about how people grow as Christians.

“That’s one thing about cowboy church — we all got room to grow,” McCabe told the congregation with a smile.

Woman finds 139-year-old baseball card in box of antiques

2009-01-08T19:13:00.001-05:00

Woman finds 139-year-old baseball card in box of antiques - Big League Stew... - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

Woman finds 139-year-old baseball card in box of antiques

By 'Duk

The strange story goes like this: Last summer, Bernice Gallego pulled an old baseball card from a box of antiques. She figured it might be worth something to someone, so she listed it on eBay.

The starting bid was $10.

But after getting a flurry of inquiries about whether the card was authentic or not, Gallego started to suspect she was holding something a little more valuable and immediately ended the auction.

Turns out her hunch was correct. She did have something more valuable. The card she found was made in 1869 and featured the "Red Stocking B.B. Club of Cincinnati," the sport's first professional team. It's considered one of the first baseball cards ever produced and its actual value could be worth more than $100,000 when she puts it back on eBay (with a higher starting price, of course).

Of course, the news that she had found a rare piece of early baseball history came as a shock to the 72-year-old Fresno, Calif., resident who said she's never been to a baseball game. Her tale, from unwitting discovery to learning about the card's history, is wonderfully captured by our old pal Mike Osegueda of the Fresno Bee. Click here to read it.

From the Fresno Bee:

"When I came to meet her and she took it out of a sandwich Baggie and she was smoking a cigarette, I almost fainted," (collector Rick) Mirigian says.

"They've uncovered a piece of history that few people will ever be able to imagine or comprehend. And it comes out of Fresno," he says. "That card is history. It's like unearthing a Mona Lisa or a Picasso."

Gallego said she doesn't know exactly where the box of antiques came from since she and her husband are collectors and frequently buy lots from different estates around California. She does have a history of being lucky, though, having once won $250,000 on a slot machine.

WORLD'S Slimmest LCD TV

2009-01-05T15:31:00.001-05:00

by : Yahoo! Tech

SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea's Samsung Electronics on Monday unveiled what it says is the world's slimmest LCD (liquid crystal display) TV.

The new product, measuring only 6.5 millimetres (0.26 inch) thick, is thinner than any other existing TV set, and even slimmer than most mobile handsets, Samsung said in a statement.

Its thickness is one seventh of Samsung's "Bordeaux 850" LCD TVs, which is currently the thinnest on the market, the company said.

The new product, which adopts an LED (light emitting diode) backlighting system, will be on display at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas from January 8 to 11, Samsung added.

NAB Against Football Going To All Cable

2008-12-08T22:35:00.000-05:00

ESPN Deal With BCS Raises Questions of Access - washingtonpost.com

The major television networks and their affiliate stations yesterday said they will push policymakers to support free access to premier televised sports events after ESPN last week contracted to carry college football bowl games on cable and satellite channels.

The National Association of Broadcasters said ESPN's $500 million deal to carry the Bowl Championship Series on subscription-based television channels from 2011 through 2014 would leave out about 20 million television viewers who rely on free over-the-air television.

Doc Watson On Monday Night Football

2008-12-08T20:56:00.002-05:00

Coming back from break on Monday night football between Carolina and Tampa Bay, a great picture of Doc Watson was shown.

The intro "If you've been in this area then maybe you know that guy, living legend in North Carolina Doc Watson. Pioneered the flat pick guitar style. He's 85 and still performs regularly." Picture was from a show Friday night at The Neighborhood Theater in Charlotte.

25th Pick Nets Man 1 Million

2008-12-08T20:18:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure if I have ever picked 25 games right in my life, ok yeah I have, but to pick 25 in a row for a cool million!!

ESPN - Steelers' win gives Streak for Cash player big 25

With the Pittsburgh Steelers' 20-13 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Samuel Louis-Charles of North Miami Beach, Fla., has reached 25 straight wins in ESPN's Streak For The Cash game.

The pick was worth $1 million for the 31-year-old package handler.

Asheville Man Finds Papers From 1920s In Home

2008-12-08T18:00:00.001-05:00

*This would be pretty neat*

Found documents give glimpse of Depression | CITIZEN-TIMES.com | Asheville Citizen-Times

WEST ASHEVILLE – Every house has a history, but you usually don't find a big chunk of it tucked under the attic insulation.
Advertisement

But that's exactly what happened in November to David Wall, a West Asheville real estate agent who recently bought the sturdy, two-story wood frame home at 71 Garden Circle with his wife, Alice Powell. Checking the insulation, he first found a bundle of newspapers.

“I'm just a lover of history, and I thought I was grabbing a bunch of old newspapers,” Wall said, standing in the home's kitchen. “But under the newspapers was another bundle, a bunch of old papers tied together with a string.”

The resident's old letters, bills, receipts and canceled checks provide a snapshot of the years 1927-31, from the good times when the family could afford a nice record player to the bad times when the letters from creditors and lawyers starting coming in. Ultimately, the home was foreclosed on — the yellowed, stiff newspaper clipping announcing the foreclosure is among the papers Wall found.

“I felt odd going through this stuff,” Wall said, a pile of old papers, some of them singed on the edges from some unexplained fire, spread before him. “I felt like I was digging through someone's personal trash.”

Among the items was a music class workbook signed by its owner, a boy who lived in the home named Albert H. Bier. Wall Googled the name, and the only finding was a man listed in Raleigh.

“Within 20 minutes of finding this stuff, I was talking to a 92-year-old man telling me about the rose bush climbing up the back of my home,” Wall said. “What a trip of technology.”

Church Uses Cars To Pray For Help

2008-12-07T21:40:00.000-05:00

Praying is fine and I am all for
it, but come one having vehicles at the alter??? That is just tasteless
and way too over the top!

SUVs at altar, Detroit church prays for a bailout | Markets | Markets News | Reuters

DETROIT, Dec 7 (Reuters) - With sport-utility vehicles at the altar and auto workers in the pews, one of Detroit's largest churches on Sunday offered up prayers for Congress to bail out the struggling auto industry.

"We have never seen as midnight an hour as we face this week," the Rev. Charles Ellis told several thousand congregants at a rousing service at Detroit's Greater Grace Temple. "This week, lives are hanging above an abyss of uncertainty as both houses of Congress decide whether to extend a helping hand."

Local car dealerships donated three hybrid SUVs to be displayed during the service, one from each of the Big Three. A Ford Escape, Chevy Tahoe from GM and a Chrysler Aspen were parked just in front of the choir and behind the pulpit.

Ellis said he and other Detroit ministers would pray and fast until Congress voted on a bailout for Detroit's embattled automakers. He urged his congregation to do the same.

Other Detroit-area religious leaders -- including Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders convened by Cardinal Adam Maida -- have urged Congress to approve an auto aid package.

But the service dedicated to saving Motown's signature industry at Greater Grace Temple was the highest profile effort to mobilize support yet.

"Everybody can't live on Wall Street. Everybody can't live on Main Street. But all of us have lived on the side street, the working class," Ellis said. "I call it the working class because everything tells me there is no more middle class."

Now We Know What Makes Bailey Laugh

2008-12-02T11:15:00.001-05:00

The things we discovered about our daughter over Thanksgiving Weekend 2008

Follow Up To My Posted Story About Dr.Pepper/Guns N Roses

2008-11-26T21:19:00.001-05:00

I attempted to get a coupon for the free drink but the DP website was not working. I found a backdoor link but the register process was horrible and would never load right. I stopped trying after 3 hours or so.

Guns N' Roses lawyer blasts Dr Pepper - Yahoo! News

LONDON (Billboard) – The lawyer for Guns N' Roses and Axl Rose has castigated Dr Pepper, accusing the soda maker of failing to deliver on its promotion to offer free soda in celebration of the band's new album, "Chinese Democracy." Guns N' Roses was never involved in the campaign.

Beverly Hills-based Alan Gutman has written to Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. president and CEO Larry Young, accusing the company of operating an online redemption scheme that was an "unmitigated disaster which defrauded customers."

Band frontman Rose did not take any action when, in March, Dr Pepper put out a press release offering free soda to any American if the long-awaited Guns N' Roses album came out before the end of 2008. However, Rose has reacted to the news that fans have been unable to get their soda since the November 23 release of "Chinese Democracy."

Gutman is demanding that Dr Pepper makes good on its offer by extending the period for the offer; he also wants full-page apologies in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal.

Gutman's letter makes clear his view that the original campaign was an "exploitation of my clients' legendary reputation and their eagerly awaited album" and "brazenly violated our clients' rights." He is also seeking an "appropriate payment ... for the unauthorized use and abuse of their publicity and intellectual property rights," with the threat of further action if an acceptable offer is not made.

"Now is the time to clean up the mess," Gutman says.

Dr Pepper's Web servers crashed under the demand for coupons that could be exchanged for free drinks. Dr Pepper extended the November 23 promotion for an extra day, but the company's Web site was inaccessible for a substantial part of it. "Dr Pepper was completely unprepared for the traffic to its site," Gutman says in the letter, describing the promotion as a "complete fiasco."

Gutman adds, "The entire point of your campaign has been to use public interest in Axl Rose and Guns N' Roses as a lure to increase consumer awareness of Dr Pepper." He further states that "mocking undertones" in the online promotional content represent a "raw and damaging commercial exploitation of our clients' rights," adding that the association is "even more damaging in light of your shoddy execution of your disingenuous giveaway offer."

The soda maker declined to comment. Dr Pepper was considering extending the promotion, according to a source close to the situation.

Talk About A Front Row Seat

2008-11-26T20:10:00.001-05:00

In a first of its kind you might just feel the hard hits.

The San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders will appear in a 3D simulcast for a select few in a first-of-its kind simulcast. The Dec. 4 gridiron match-up will appear in 3D-capable theaters in Boston, Hollywood and New York.

The National Football is working with two Los Angeles-area companies to create the invite-only event--Burbank, Calif., 3ality Digital and RealD of Beverly Hills. 3ality will shoot and transmit the game. The company’s accomplishments credit include the “U2 3D,” the first live action film shot in digital 3D; the first transatlantic 3D broadcast of Dreamworks chief Jeffrey Katzenberg being interviewed on the West Coast from IBC in Amsterdam; and NBC’s “Chuck,” the first scripted TV show shot in digital 3D (NBC's "Chuck").

RealD makes the 3D cinema projection technology that dominates much of the market. It will provide access to enabled theaters and 3D-capable TV monitors so the anointed can see what football of the future will look like at home.

The NFL has toyed with 3D before. Super Bowl XXXVIII, the one famous for Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction,” was filmed in 3D, but no such telecasts have ever been done. The League was a primary driver of the adoption of high-definition television. It’s going for a similar sea change with 3D.

“The NFL has played an important role in the evolution of media and consumer acceptance of emerging technologies…” said Howard Katz, NFL senior vice president of broadcasting and media operations, in a press release. “This broadcast will be an exciting test of how 3D could affect fans’ experience in the future.”

The broadcast will be transmitted live to invited audiences in the three theaters owned by Clearview Cinemas, Mann Theatres and National Amusements. The event will be carried via Technicolor Digital Cinema’s satellite infrastructure and live in-theatre broadcast platform.

High Country Pictures

2008-11-26T19:43:00.002-05:00

I have been slack on posting pictures and video from our snow storm on Friday.
But today I redeem myself by posting a pic that my step-father-in-law took of the waterwheel in Boone. I don't like how the preview photos here look, so click on the picture to get the real deal and be forewarn they are large pictures.

Biltmore House Christmas Tree Time Lapse

2008-11-24T21:48:00.000-05:00

Smarter Than 5th Grader Million Winner Files For Bankruptcy

2008-11-23T21:05:00.000-05:00

The Associated Press: Ga. school superintendent files for bankruptcy

ATLANTA (AP) — Only months after winning and giving away $1 million on a television game show, state Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox and her husband have filed for bankruptcy.

Cox said she and her husband, John, decided on Nov. 17 to file for bankruptcy because of losses incurred in his home building business. She had no role in the business but was a co-signer on loans for it.

"The collapse of the home building market has been well documented and small builders, like my husband, have been hit especially hard. This was a gut-wrenching decision, but in the end, we felt that we had no choice," Cox said in a statement through a spokesman, Dana Tofig.

"I want to be clear ... that this filing does not affect my ability to perform the duties of my job as state superintendent of schools," the statement said.

The Coxes filed under Chapter 7 of the federal bankruptcy code. It allows debtors to keep and continue paying for some assets, such as homes and cars, while other assets are liquidated to pay creditors.

In paperwork filed last week the couple listed $3.5 million in liabilities and $649,728 in assets.

In the summer, Cox won $1 million on the game show "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?" and donated the winnings to the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf in Clarkston, the Georgia School for the Deaf in northwest Georgia and to the Georgia Academy for the Blind in Macon.

Tofig said Cox will honor the plan to donate the TV winnings and has already set up a gift foundation to handle the money. He said he wasn't sure if the money had already been sent to the schools, but that it would be distributed no later than next month.

Cox drew about $108,600 in salary through Nov. 17.

Illegal Immigrants To Get Next Bailout

2008-11-23T20:13:00.001-05:00

Great column and really hits the key point home.

IBDeditorials.com: Editorials, Political Cartoons, and Polls from Investor's Business Daily -- Illegal Immigrants To Get Next Bailout

Illegal Immigrants To Get Next Bailout

By IRA MEHLMAN | Posted Friday, November 14, 2008 4:20 PM PT

There are disturbing parallels between the financial crisis and America's illegal immigration crisis. In both cases, the irresponsible acts of the few have become the collective burdens of the majority who behaved responsibly and legally.

During the campaign, President-elect Obama promised to address immigration policy — with amnesty for millions of illegal aliens as its centerpiece — during his first year in office.

Couched euphemistically as "comprehensive immigration reform," the plan we can expect from the Obama administration will have the earmarks of another massively expensive taxpayer bailout scheme. The minority of people who acted illegally and irresponsibly would benefit, while the vast majority who played by the rules would get stuck with the bills.

America's worsening financial crisis was brought about by people who borrowed money they could not afford to repay, and the financial institutions who earned huge short-term profits by making irresponsible loans.

Poor Choices

America's illegal immigration crisis was brought about by people who were drawn to this country by jobs they knew they had no legal right to, and employers who profited handsomely from their low-wage labor.

While the vast majority of Americans who resisted the temptation of easy short-term credit, and borrowed within their means, feel bad for those who were enticed by such offers, they do not believe such irresponsible personal behavior should be rewarded.

The unfortunate consequence of these personal borrowing decisions is that many people — along with their innocent children — will lose their homes.

Similarly, while most Americans empathize with the aspirations of those who violated our immigration laws, they do not believe that illegal behavior should be rewarded. The vast majority of Americans support government steps to enforce immigration laws, especially in the workplace, and understand that it is the illegal aliens themselves who are responsible for any consequent hardships experienced by children and other family members.

While Americans have sympathy for individuals who got in over their heads, they feel nothing but seething anger toward the financial institutions that made irresponsible loans and the executives who enriched themselves in the process.

Similarly, the public has nothing but contempt for the businesses that padded their profits while systematically undercutting middle-class workers by hiring illegal aliens, forcing everyone else to subsidize their low-wage workers.

Morally and financially, an illegal-alien amnesty would be the equivalent of another massive bailout program. The individuals who violated our immigration laws would be eligible for a "restructuring" of their status in this country. With a few minor conditions and penalties they would get to remain in the U.S. and, over time, enjoy the full benefits and privileges of citizenship.

The companies that have been illicitly profiting from hiring illegal aliens would get to keep their workers and have easier access to still more foreign labor in the future. Given their success at lobbying to ensure that laws against hiring illegal aliens are never really enforced, no one would be surprised to find history repeating itself a decade or two down the road.

In the meantime, all Americans would be forced to bear the staggering costs of amnesty for many people who, owing to their skill and educational profiles, are certain to rely heavily on government assistance programs.

As amnesty beneficiaries "come out of the shadows," reunite with family members outside the country and give birth to U.S. citizen children, the costs of providing benefits and services to this population will again fall on the shoulders of the American taxpayer.

Going To Hurt

Much like the financial crisis, America's illegal immigration crisis must be resolved and there are no painless options. The only matter to be determined is who will pay the price for decades of rampant disregard for law and the common good.

The best option for the Obama administration would be to continue, or even accelerate, the Bush administration's recent enforcement efforts. Over time, consistent enforcement of laws against the employment of illegal aliens, elimination of nonessential benefits and services to illegal aliens, and cooperation with local law enforcement will reduce the illegal population of the United States to manageable levels.

For once, law-abiding, middle-class workers and taxpayers would actually benefit instead of being required to share the pain for illegal behavior and negligence that they did not contribute to.

Mehlman is national media director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

Obama is all for going green except in his new limo

2008-11-23T19:13:00.001-05:00

For a guy that is all about the "green" movement he is not setting a good example at the start. A sign of things to come me thinks.

Green Obama’s official limo is a gas guzzler - Times Online

The Obamobile being prepared for the president-elect is said to be a monster gas-guzzler made by General Motors,

Dr Pepper making good on promise

2008-11-20T22:52:00.001-05:00

Dr Pepper to deliver on its free-soda promise - Yahoo! News

Dr Pepper is making good on its promise of free soda now that the release of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" is a reality. The soft-drink maker said in March that it would give a free soda to everyone in America if the album dropped in 2008. "Chinese Democracy," infamously delayed since recording began in 1994, goes on sale Sunday.

"We never thought this day would come," Tony Jacobs, Dr Pepper's vice president of marketing, said in a statement. "But now that it's here, all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us."

Beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m., coupons for a free 20-ounce soda will be available for 24 hours on Dr Pepper's Web site. They'll be honored until Feb. 28.

3 year old finger painter

2008-11-20T22:44:00.001-05:00

3 Year Old is an Amazing Finger Painter Video

3 Year Old is an Amazing Finger Painter - Watch more Free Videos

Man arrested at fathers funeral

2008-11-19T17:10:00.000-05:00

All I can say is WOW!

Update: Sheriff says sorry for shocking pallbearer : News-Record.com : Greensboro, North Carolina

WILMINGTON (AP) — A North Carolina sheriff's official has apologized for plunging a funeral into chaos when undercover agents tried to arrest the dead man's son — and used a Taser on him in the process.

The incident happened as the coffin was being loaded into a hearse. The officers planned to quietly arrest Gladwyn Taft Russ III, who was serving as a pallbearer, The Star-News of Wilmington reported today.

Relatives said two deputies dressed in coats and ties grabbed Russ and kneed him in his back before using the Taser on him. One deputy's gun fell out of its holster.

Russ' sister, Taffy Gause, said when she got out of the car a deputy "was waving a gun at me and my mom and yelling to get back or he was going to shoot." She said some mourners went home instead of going to the cemetery.

Russ, 42, had failed to turn himself in as promised after being charged with threatening his ex-wife who lives in another state, officials said.

Officers tried to serve the warrant Nov. 8, but Russ barricaded himself in a house. Officers agreed to let him surrender after his 70-year-old father had surgery, but the elder Russ died Nov. 11 and his son called to say he would surrender after the funeral.

When deputies approached Russ during the Saturday funeral, he "went wild" and spat on the officers, said New Hanover County sheriff's chief deputy Ed McMahon.

McMahon said the officers should have waited until after the cemetery service.

"It was never my intention to create any more problems for the family, and I am truly sorry and apologize for that," he said.

McMahon said the officers pointed Tasers at people because the crowd was moving toward them.

Russ was charged with assault on a government official, resisting an officer, disorderly conduct and felony malicious conduct by a prisoner.

"Everybody was so scared. We thought it was a drug deal gone bad," said Ronnie Simmons, a pallbearer and Russ' brother-in-law. "We almost dropped the casket."

I must say this is impressive Appalachian On Ice

2008-11-19T16:56:00.001-05:00

I have to say this is mighty impressive. According to the news portion of ASU's site

"Jeff Pennypacker, an ice sculptor at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, created this Appalachian-themed sculpture for the chancellor’s reception held at the historic inn Nov. 17. Pennypacker used colored sand to create the frozen logo. The project, which was donated to the function, took more than four hours to complete. The event was organized by Appalachian’s Office of Alumni Affairs. (Photo by University Photographer Marie Freeman)"

Astronaut Losses Tool Bag In Space

2008-11-18T23:29:00.001-05:00

You know how mad I get when I can't find a tool? Wonder how she felt!!

Print Story: Astronauts end space walk marred by lost tool bag - Yahoo! News

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A spacewalking astronaut accidentally let go of her tool bag Tuesday after a grease gun inside it exploded, and helplessly watched as the tote and everything inside floated away.

It was one of the largest items ever to be lost by a spacewalker, and occurred during an unprecedented attempt to clean and lube a gummed-up joint at the international space station.

Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper was just starting to work on the joint when the mishap occurred.

She said her grease gun exploded, getting the dark gray stuff all over a camera and her gloves. While she was wiping everything off, the white, backpack-size bag slipped out of her grip, and she lost all her tools.

"Oh, great," she mumbled.

She and her fellow spacewalker, Stephen Bowen, then finished their tasks in almost seven hours by sharing tools. Bowen had his own tool bag with another set of grease guns, putty knives and oven-like terry cloth mitts to wipe away metal grit from the joint.

"Despite my little hiccup, or major hiccup, I think we did a good job out there," Stefanyshyn-Piper said after returning to the space station.

Flight controllers were assessing the impact the lost bag would have on the next three planned spacewalks. The astronauts may be asked to keep sharing tools or use caulking-style guns intended for repairs to the shuttle's thermal shielding.

Earlier, the spacewalkers spotted a screw floating by, but were too far away to catch it. "I have no idea where it came from," Stefanyshyn-Piper told Mission Control.

Flight director Ginger Kerrick said neither the bag nor the screw posed hazards to the spacecraft. By late Tuesday, the bag was already 2 1/2 miles in front of the shuttle-station complex. "It's well on its way away from us," she assured reporters.

NASA was not sure how the bag got loose; it should have been tethered to a larger equipment bag. Another unknown: why the grease gun discharged.

"It is a human endeavor. Mistakes can happen. Equipment can fail," said John Ray, the lead spacewalk officer in Mission Control. He noted that Stefanyshyn-Piper showed "real character and great discipline" by continuing on and doing a fine job for the rest of the spacewalk. She was the first woman to be assigned as lead spacewalker for a shuttle flight.

Other items lost in past spacewalks include a foot restraint, bolts and a spatula used during a test to repair the shuttle. The lost bag marred what had been a near-flawless mission by Endeavour and its seven-member crew.

For more than a year, the jammed joint has been unable to automatically point the right-side solar wings toward the sun for maximum energy production. The repair work — expected from the outset to be greasy and hand-intensive — is supposed to take up much of all four spacewalks.

The joint is located near the extreme reaches of the 220-mile-high outpost. The spacewalkers had 85-foot safety tethers to keep them connected to the mother ship at all times.

NASA suspects a lack of lubrication caused the massive joint to break down; grinding parts left metal shavings everywhere and prompted flight controllers to use the joint sparingly. Besides scraping and wiping away the grit and applying grease, the spacewalkers will replace the bearings.

As a precaution, extra grease will be applied on a later spacewalk to the joint on the opposite side of the space station that has allowed those solar wings to produce ample electricity.

As the action unfolded outside, the astronauts inside the shuttle-station complex started unloading gear from a huge trunk that was brought up by Endeavour.

The big-ticket item — and one of the first things to be hooked up — is a recycling system that will convert astronauts' urine and sweat into drinking water. It is essential if NASA is to double the size of the space station crew to six next June.

Endeavour also delivered an extra bathroom, kitchenette, two bedrooms, an exercise machine and refrigerator that will allow space station residents to enjoy cold drinks for the first time.

The additions — coming exactly 10 years after the first space station piece was launched — will transform the place into a two-bath, two-kitchen, five-bedroom home.

Endeavour arrived at the space station Sunday. The next spacewalk is set for Thursday.

On Tuesday, mission managers cleared Endeavour to return to Earth at the end of the month. A thorough inspection of images of the shuttle showed no evidence of any damage to its heat shield like the kind that doomed Columbia in 2003.

Woman Gets New Windpipe By Stem Cells

2008-11-18T23:24:00.001-05:00

No matter which side of the fence you might fall on this is still ground breaking medicine.

Doctors transplant windpipe with stem cells - Yahoo! News

LONDON – Doctors have given a woman a new windpipe with tissue grown from her own stem cells,eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs. "This technique hasgreat promise," said Dr. Eric Genden, who did a similar transplant in2005 at Mount Sinai Hospitalin New York. That operation used both donor and recipient tissue. Onlya handful of windpipe, or trachea, transplants have ever been done.

If successful, the procedure could become a new standard of treatment, said Genden, who was not involved in the research.

The results were published online Wednesday in the medical journal, The Lancet.

Thetransplant was given to Claudia Castillo, a 30-year-old Colombianmother of two living in Barcelona, suffered from tuberculosis foryears. After a severe collapse of her left lung in March, Castillo needed regular hospital visits to clear her airways and was unable to take care of her children.

Doctorsinitially thought the only solution was to remove the entire left lung.But Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, head of thoracic surgery at Barcelona'sHospital Clinic, proposed a windpipe transplant instead.

Once doctors had a donor windpipe, scientists at Italy's University of Padua stripped off all its cells, leaving only a tube of connective tissue.

Meanwhile, doctors at the University of Bristol took a sample of Castillo's bone marrow from her hip. They used the bone marrow's stem cells to create millions of cartilage and tissue cells to cover and line the windpipe.

Experts at the University of Milanthen used a device to put the new cartilage and tissue onto thewindpipe. The new windpipe was transplanted into Castillo in June.

"They have created a functional, biological structure that can't be rejected," said Dr. Allan Kirk of the American Society of Transplantation. "It's an important advance, but constructing an entire organ is still a long way off."

Sofar, Castillo has shown no signs of rejection and is not taking anyimmune-suppressing drugs, which can cause side effects like high bloodpressure, kidney failure and cancer.

"Iwas scared at the beginning," Castillo said in a press statement. "I amnow enjoying life and am very happy that my illness has been cured."

Herdoctors say she is now able to take care of her children, and can walkreasonable distances without becoming out of breath. Castillo evenreported dancing all night at a club in Barcelona recently.

Gendensaid that Castillo's progress needed to be closely monitored. "Timewill tell if this lasts," he said. Genden added that it can take up tothree years to know if the windpipe's cartilage structure is solid andwon't fall apart.

People who mightbenefit include children born with defective airways, people with scarsor tumours in their windpipes, and those with collapsed windpipes.

Martin Birchall, who grew Castillo's cells at the University of Bristol, said that the technique might even be adapted to other organs.

"Patients engineering their own tissues is the key way forward," said Dr. Patrick Warnke, a surgeon at the University of Kiel in Germany. Warnke is also growing patients' tissues from stem cells for transplants.

Warnkepredicted that doctors might one day be able to produce organs in thelaboratory from patients' own stem cells. "That is still years away,but we need pioneering approaches like this to solve the problem," hesaid.

Two Publications Spotlight Local Men

2008-11-18T22:19:00.001-05:00

GoBlueRidge.net - Two Publications Spotlight Local Men - Constantly Updated High Country NC News Source

Articles in two different publications highlight the life and times of native High Country residents Orville Hicks and Earl Townsend.

In the November issue of The Lutheran, the magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Clarks Creek resident Earl Townsend is profiled by writer Edgar Trexler.

Trexler revists the Townsend family after his original article in 1969 about Earl's father Jason Townsend and Holy Communion Lutheran Church. The piece includes an interview with pastor Larry Campbell, who according to the article, has been pastor at the church for 45 years and is the only full-time pastor the congregation has had in its 166 years. A link for the article can be found here

Award winning story teller Orville Hicks is featured in an article from the News and Observer newspaper. Writer Scott Sharpe's "Postcards From The Road" series caught up with Hicks and his Jack Tales at the 2008 Valle Country Fair in Valle Crucis. A link to that article can be found here.

Mountain man tells many tales

2008-11-17T16:25:00.000-05:00

newsobserver.com | Mountain man tells many tales

Word passes through the crowd at the Valle Country Fair faster than the cold October wind blowing off the mountain. "Orville's telling stories!"

Copy of Lincoln Letter Consoling War Mom Surfaces

2008-11-17T15:42:00.000-05:00

FOXNews.com - Copy of Lincoln Letter Consoling War Mom Surfaces - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

A Texas museum hopes a document found in its archives turns out to be an authentic government copy of Abraham Lincoln's eloquent letter consoling a mother thought to have lost five sons in the Civil War.

Wonder WHat Mark Cuban will do now

2008-11-17T15:39:00.000-05:00

Dallas Mavericks owner Cuban charged with insider trading - Nov. 17, 2008

- Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban, owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks, was charged Monday by the Securities and Exchange Commission with insider trading.

KR's note: Why in the world when you have the kinda of money that he does would you be stupid enough for insider trading?!

Technorati Tags: mark cuban

Paul Bunyan's What, Brad Nessler?

2008-11-17T07:56:00.001-05:00

Brad Nessler almost lets something slip

Nessler Axe
by bsap11

Widow Keeps Husbands Music Alive After UnExpected Death

2008-11-17T00:23:00.001-05:00

A love song to live on - * Home Page Mapping | CharlotteObserver.com

Sarah and Chris Tallman married a year ago in a beautifulbeachfront wedding, and Sarah started making plans for a life together.

Sheexpected that by now they would be settled in their Victorian house inSan Francisco, Chris working as a private client adviser for Bank ofAmerica and writing music on the side, Sarah in sales at Bausch &Lomb and pregnant.

Then five months after their wedding,Chris died in an accident. Sarah, who is 35, tried to live in SanFrancisco without him, but it hurt too much. She moved back home toCharlotte three weeks ago with only one plan: Keep Chris' memory aliveby keeping his music alive.

Chris was a funny guy. Smart.Sarah liked that he donated both his time and money to charities. Hewas good-looking, too, with eyes nearly as blue as hers. They met sixyears ago on a blind date in San Francisco, where Sarah had moved aftergraduating from UNC Charlotte. After dating three years, they got anapartment together. Sarah said she gave him an ultimatum: When thelease is up, we're getting engaged or breaking up.

When thelease ended, so did their relationship. Chris wasn't ready to make acommitment so Sarah took their white golden retriever, Jackson, andmoved out. For six sad months, they stayed apart.

A love song Chris wrote helped woo Sarah back. He called it “Believe.”

“And I'll be the one,” he sang.

“Who holds you up when all is gone

“Let this time ease the pain

“And bring you back to me again…. Someday.”

Theymarried a year ago Saturday, on Nov. 15, 2007, but delayed theirhoneymoon until May so they could settle into their new house and Sarahinto a new job. Five weeks before they were supposed to go, Chrisjoined his best man on a shark-viewing expedition off the coast of CapeTown in South Africa.

“I spoke with him the night before the dive,” Sarah said. “He promised to call me when it was finished.”

Chrisnever called. Sarah's annoyance quickly turned to worry. She searchedthe Internet and discovered a wave had capsized a shark-diving boat offof Africa. Three people drowned, including two Americans.

Shewas home alone when she found out Chris had died. She screamed so loudneighbors rushed to the house, afraid she was being attacked.

She woke up every morning for weeks, believing it wasn't true. They were supposed to be going on their honeymoon.

When Chris' ashes were sent back to Sarah, inside the box was his wedding band.

Heartache and keepsakes

Sarah tried different ways toease her heartache. She designed a pendant, which she wears around herneck, made from their wedding bands and some of his ashes. She made apendant for Chris' mother, and one for their dog.

She framed postcards Chris had bought in Africa.

She submitted his songs to music contests.

Shetried to return to work with Bausch & Lomb in San Francisco, butcouldn't. She felt adrift in a city full of memories that haunted herwherever she turned. And so last month, she drove cross-country toCharlotte and is staying with her parents, Jean-Noel and Judy Cozon.

Twodays after she arrived, Sarah heard from the IndependentSinger-Songwriter Association. “Believe” had won the 2008 Lyrics of theYear award. The judges picked the song without knowing Chris was dead.They picked it without knowing he wrote the song for Sarah, to win herback, and that he did win her back, that they married and that fivemonths later he died, but not his music.

“I see you in the corner of a lonely room,” he sings.

“Your eyes betray your smile

“And I need you to believe, tonight

“And I'll be the one

“Who holds you up when all is gone

“Let this time ease the pain

“And bring you back to me again…. Someday.”

Message in the music

The meaning of the songchanged for Sarah after Chris' death. The first time she heard thelyrics, she thought Chris was telling her he was ready to make alifetime commitment, to marry her. Now, she feels he's promising towatch over her. As hard as it sometimes is to hear his voice, hearinghis voice is what sustains her.

“There are times when I burst out crying,” she said. “There are times when I hear it and it's what I need. It comforts me.”

Sarah'sdays are consumed with promoting Chris' music. Some people tell her sheneeds to live her own life. For now, she said, this is her life.

“I am completelyhappy doing this for my husband. I just want to get his music out therebecause that's what he wanted more than anything.”

Is hegood, she wonders. Is the award a big deal? “Or is it just me thinkingthat, because I lost my husband? I know it's totally crazy,” she said.“But the best way to honor him is to continue his dream.”

Chrisperformed under the stage name Matthew Chase, and released his firstCD, “Tomorrow,” in 2003. “Remember Why” came out in 2006 and“Everything,” which includes “Believe,” came out the week before theirwedding. Sarah hopes to compile a fourth CD, “Everything and After.”

Chris is dead, but she believes Matthew Chase and his music don't have to die with him.

Endeavour night launch photo

2008-11-16T10:52:00.001-05:00

The space shuttle Endeavour isseen lifting off over the moon in Orlando, Florida November 14, 2008.The U.S. space shuttle Endeavour soared off its seaside launch pad onFriday on a mission to upgrade the International Space Station. Picturewas taken with a time lapse exposure.
REUTERS/Kevin Kolczynski

India plants flag on the moon

2008-11-16T00:41:00.001-05:00

India celebrates planting its flag on moon - Yahoo! News
India rejoiced Saturday at joining an elite club by planting its flag on the moon
Technorati Tags: india, moon

How Michael Vick spent his money

2008-11-15T22:59:00.001-05:00

Over at Jon Lowder he has the Smoking Gun story of where Vick's money went after heading into bankruptcy in July of this year.

According to the Smoking Gun: NOVEMBER 13--Michael Vick, who now earns 12 cents an hour for prisonwork, has just filed detailed reports and ledgers showing how hisfinancial condition imploded in tandem with his football career. Vick,who declared bankruptcy in July, yesterday filed a statement offinancial affairs charting how he spent $17.7 million in the two yearspreceding his Chapter 11 petition (keep in mind, of course, that he hasbeen imprisoned since November 2007). As seen below, the two-pagestatement lists the former football star's payments to lawyers,relatives, and the mothers of his children. Lousy investments,security, cars, a boat, $3.5 million in "miscellaneous" transfers, and$1.1 million in checks made out to "Cash" are also memorialized in theledger. One indication of Vick's, um, unorthodox financial controls canbe found in the recording of a $1000 check cut to his mother BrendaBoddie in October 2006. At the time, Vick gave a brief description ofthe payment: "chump change." Vick's U.S. District Court filings also included a list of the nine carshe owns: a $73,000 Land Rover is driven by his fiancee, the woman'smother uses a 2007 Cadillac Escalade, and Vick's brother Marcus drivesa 2007 Land Rover. A 2007 Infinity is even kept in Leavenworth,Kansas--where Vick is imprisoned--for use by his fiancee, Kijafa Frink,when she visits the federal lockup. The court records also describeVick's financial interest in about five horses.But considering that the ex-quarterback is behind bars for dog fightingand knew that his cronies killed underperforming pit bulls, Vick mighthave offered a more assuring statement on the well-being of the horsesthan, "Upon information and belief, these horses are being fed andcared for by an individual, unknown to the Debtor, who is not beingpaid or compensated for his services."

Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach Up For Sale

2008-11-15T22:40:00.001-05:00

Lowest Hard Rock Park bid set at $35M - South Carolina & Regional - Wire - Myrtle Beach Online
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- Want to buy Hard Rock Park? You'll need at least $3.5 million.

Blackouts Due To Fire Threaten Los Angeles

2008-11-15T16:43:00.001-05:00

Los Angeles fears blackouts as wildfire burns | Reuters

Rolling blackouts could engulf Los Angeles today.
Technorati Tags: los angeles fire

First Female Four Star General Named

2008-11-15T16:15:00.001-05:00

A historic first for Army
Call it breaking the brass ceiling. Ann E. Dunwoody, after 33 years in the Army, ascended yesterday to a peak never before reached by a woman in the U.S. military: four-star general.
Technorati Tags: army, four star general

Threats Against Obama Mount

2008-11-15T15:51:00.000-05:00

Obama has more threats than other presidents-elect | ajc.com
Threats against a new president historically spike right after an election, but from Maine to Idaho law enforcement officials are seeing more against Barack Obama than ever before.

1-3 inches of snow expected across Western North Carolina over weekend

2008-11-15T15:41:00.001-05:00

National Weather Service Watch Warning Advisory Summary
ELEVATIONS ABOVE 2500 FEET MAY RECEIVE SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW BY<br />DAYBREAK TUESDAY MORNING.

Test Scribe Fire Post

2008-11-15T14:36:00.000-05:00

I just downloaded Scribe Fire ScribeFire - Fire Up Your Blogging! It allows you to blog from firefox instead of having to pull up a new tab with your blog host in it. We shall see how well I like it in a few days.
Technorati Tags: scribefire

Texas pastor to issue 7-day sex challenge

2008-11-12T21:25:00.000-05:00
Texas pastor to issue 7-day sex challenge

Associated Press

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

DALLAS — The pastor of a megachurch says he will challenge married congregants during his sermon Sunday to have sex for seven straight days — and he plans to practice what he preaches.

“We’re going to give it a try,” said the Rev. Ed Young, who has four children with his wife of 26 years.

Young, 47, said he believes society promotes promiscuity and he wants to reclaim sex for married couples. Sex should be a nurturing, spiritual act that strengthens marriages, he said.

“God says sex should be between a married man and a woman,” Young said. “I think it’s one of the greatest things you can do for your kids because so goes the marriage, so goes the family.”

Young said he will deliver his seven-day sex challenge while sitting on a bed in front of his Dallas-area church campus.

He is founder of the nondenominational Fellowship Church, which draws about 20,000 people each Sunday and also has campuses in Fort Worth, Plano and Miami.

Earlier this year, a southwest Florida pastor, perhaps having more faith in his congregants’ stamina, issued a 30-day sex challenge.

Cash found in Ohio house's walls becomes nightmare

2008-11-08T20:34:00.001-05:00
*The woman is no relation to me*

CLEVELAND – A contractor who found $182,000 in Depression-era currency hidden in a bathroom wall has ended up with only a few thousand dollars, but he feels some vindication.

The windfall discovery amounted to little more than grief for contractor Bob Kitts, who couldn't agree on how to split the money with homeowner Amanda Reece.

It didn't help Reece much, either. She testified in a deposition that she was considering bankruptcy and that a bank recently foreclosed on one of her properties.

And 21 descendants of Patrick Dunne — the wealthy businessman who stashed the money that was minted in a time of bank collapses and joblessness — will each get a mere fraction of the find.

"If these two individuals had sat down and resolved their disputes and divided the money, the heirs would have had no knowledge of it," said attorney Gid Marcinkevicius, who represents the Dunne estate. "Because they were not able to sit down and divide it in a rational way, they both lost."

Kitts was tearing the bathroom walls out of an 83-year-old home near Lake Erie in 2006 when he discovered two green metal lockboxes suspended inside a wall below the medicine chest, hanging from a wire. Inside were white envelopes with the return address for "P. Dunne News Agency."

"I ripped the corner off of one," Kitts said during a deposition in a lawsuit filed by Dunne's estate. "I saw a 50 and got a little dizzy."

He called Reece, a former high school classmate who had hired him for a remodeling project.

They counted the cash and posed for photographs, both grinning like lottery jackpot winners.

But how to share? She offered 10 percent. He wanted 40 percent. From there things went sour.

A month after The Plain Dealer reported on the case in December 2007, Dunne's estate got involved, suing for the right to the money.

By then there was little left to claim.

Reece testified in a deposition that she spent about $14,000 on a trip to Hawaii and had sold some of the rare late 1920s bills. She said about $60,000 was stolen from a shoe box in her closet but testified that she never reported the theft to police.

Kitts said Reece accused him of stealing the money and began leaving him threatening phone messages. Marcinkevicius doesn't believe the money was stolen but said he couldn't prove otherwise.

Reece's phone number has been disconnected, and her attorney Robert Lazzaro did not return a call seeking comment. There were no court records showing that Reece had filed for bankruptcy.

Kitts said he lost a lot of business because media reports on the case portrayed him as greedy, but he feels vindicated by the court's decision to give him a share.

"I was not the bad guy that everybody made me out to be," Kitts said. "I didn't do anything wrong."

He's often asked why he didn't keep his mouth shut and pocket the money. He says he wasn't raised that way.

"It was a neat experience, something that won't happen again," Kitts said. "In that regard, it was pretty fascinating; seeing that amount of money in front of you was breathtaking. In that regard, I don't regret it.

"The threats and all — that's the part that makes you wish it never happened."

Tom Sorensen's article on the Hornets

2008-11-07T20:09:00.001-05:00
Tom Sorensen's article on the Hornets, I miss those days when I cared about the
NBA.

I've enjoyed reading about and thinking about the Hornets, who return to Charlotte tonight to play the Bobcats. The Hornets went bad at the end the way a relationship goes bad. But in the early years there was an innocence about the team, and about our city, that we'll never see again. Sports get to be new only once.

Memories include Kurt Rambis, a member of the first Hornets team 20 years ago, playing one-on-one against David Thompson, who hoped to return to the NBA, at the Dowd Y. Thompson is remembered for his tremendous leaping ability, but his first step was as effective. He rocked in such a way that nobody could discern whether he was going left or right. Rambis tried. This was full-contact one-on-one. I suspect Rambis plays full-contact table tennis, too.

One of the all-time great Hornets to spend time around was Kenny Gattison. Classy, smart, accessible and quotable, he had a great basketball mind. He was a leaper out of college, but blew out his knee and became a rebounder and pick-setter and defender. Gattison is one of the rare people who made a court, locker room or city more interesting simply because he was there.

There were the stars, Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning. But there were also the players who filled in around them. Over the years they included Young Tony Bennett, now a highly regarded coach at Washington State who was such a youthful looking player that security guards wouldn't let him onto the court in Chicago. And it was a playoff game. I had to vouch for him.

Matt Geiger was a bright and eclectic guy who would throw a rubber ball to fans from the bench during timeouts on those occasions he was injured, which was often.

There were characters. Anthony Mason was an independent and interesting guy who had his own way of doing things and wasn't terribly interested in deviating. I was with him once when he was passing out produce to residents in selected Charlotte neighborhoods. We were in an old truck full of vegetables and somehow he caught the eye of a woman in a passing car on Tryon St. and they exchanged telephone numbers. Nobody played basketball the way he did.

An assistant coach once expressed sadness about cutting a player. You like the player that much? No, the coach said. He was going to miss seeing the player's girlfriend, who regularly attended home games.

Vernon Maxwell dropped in to play 31 games. I knew he had talent; i hadn't realized how much. I wonder how good he could have been if he had committed to the game.

J.R. Reid was a guy with which I could talk boxing. Malik Rose, who is still in the league, was a testament to effort. Who can forget Jeff Sanders? All right, I have forgotten Jeff Sanders.

I had wars over the years with George Shinn, who owned the Hornets. But I spent time with him a few years ago in New Orleans. He's found himself again. Fans like him; they see him as one of them. I like him, too. He always wanted to contribute to the community, ours and now New Orleans. He wanted to give back. Also, he returns telephone calls. I wish him continued good luck.

It is the first team, the team that celebrates its 20th anniversary this season, we've been writing about. There was a lack of pretension; everybody, the athletes, the fans, the media, figured it out as we went along.

I asked Dell Curry, who played on that first team and become one of this city's favorite athletes, if he knew what they had -- in the locker room and in the relationship with this city. He said he did not.

None of us did.

FBI: Airline passenger restrained with duct tape

2008-11-06T09:14:00.000-05:00
By MARLON A. WALKER, Associated Press Writer Marlon A. Walker, Associated Press Writer – Wed Nov 5, 7:32 pm ET

RALEIGH, N.C. – An airline crew used duct tape to keep a passenger in her seat because they say she became unruly, fighting flight attendants and grabbing other passengers, forcing the flight to land in North Carolina.

Maria Esther Castillo of Oswego, N.Y., is due in court Thursday, charged with resisting arrest and interfering with the operations of a flight crew aboard United Airlines Flight 645, from Puerto Rico to Chicago.

Castillo, 45, struck a flight attendant on the buttocks with the back of her hand during Saturday's flight, FBI Special Agent Peter Carricato said in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Charlotte. She also stood and fell onto the head of a blind passenger and later started pulling the person's hair, the complaint stated.

Ankle cuffs kept slipping off Castillo, so the flight crew and two passengers were forced to use duct tape to keep her in her seat, the complaint states.

She calmed as the pilot diverted the flight to Charlotte-Douglass International Airport, but became disruptive again when authorities boarded the plane to remove her, authorities said.

Carricato states that a passenger saw Castillo having drinks in an airport bar before boarding. She bought another drink on the plane. Flight attendants stopped serving her alcohol because of her behavior, the complaint states.

United spokesman Jeff Kovick said Wednesday that safety is the company's top priority and that it's cooperating with authorities.

FBI spokeswoman Amy Thoreson on Wednesday declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.

A message left seeking comment wasn't immediately returned by Castillo's attorney, Julia Mimms.

An hour-by-hour guide to election night.

2008-11-04T01:13:00.000-05:00
What to Watch For

An hour-by-hour guide to election night.
Nate Silver
Newsweek Web Exclusive
Nov 3, 2008 | Updated: 12:29 p.m. ET Nov 3, 2008

In 2000 and 2004, the outcome of the presidential race was unknown into the wee hours of the morning (and indeed for several weeks thereafter in 2000). This time, it is possible that we will be able to guess the winner of the presidential race relatively early in the evening. Regardless, there will be plenty to watch Tuesday night, particularly for those who can appreciate a good slugfest in the Senate. And lest we count John McCain out, we need only remember the polling disasters that befell states like New Hampshire in this year's primaries. Here, then, is what I will be watching each hour on election night.

6 PM EST. Polls close in portions of Indiana and Kentucky.

Traditionally, these are the first states to get called by the networks, spotting the Republicans a quick 19 points in the Electoral College. This year, however, is liable to be a little bit different. Indiana is far more competitive than usual, and is probably the state with the greatest disparity in ground games: the Obama campaign has 42 field offices open there, whereas McCain neglected the state entirely until recently.

The responsible thing to do would be for the networks to hold off until at least 7 PM to project Indiana, when polls have closed in Gary and the northwestern part of the state just across the border from Chicago—where Obama hopes to rack up huge margins among black and working-class voters. If for some reason the state is called before 7 PM for John McCain, that probably means we're in for a long night. If, on the other hand, the state is called for Obama in the first hour after the polls close, that could indicate that the force of Obama's field operation has been underestimated, and that McCain is in for a catastrophically poor evening. (Speaking of which, Indiana's equivalent on the Senate side of things might in fact be Kentucky, where Mitch McConnell remains the favorite but where he could be vulnerable in the event of an anti-incumbent wave.)

7 PM EST. Polls close in Virginia and Georgia, as well as most of Florida and most of New Hampshire.

Virginia, for my money, is the most important state in this election. If John McCain loses it, his path to victory is exceptionally narrow—he would need to pull out an upset in Pennsylvania, while holding on to Florida and Ohio, and avoiding a sweep out West. Barack Obama has considerably more ways to win without Virginia, but a failure to close out the state would suggest at best a more circuitous route to victory. As Obama remains about five points ahead in most polls of Virginia, what we're really looking for is a quick call on anything before 8 PM that would indicate that the map has indeed changed from 2004, and not in McCain's favor.

Georgia and New Hampshire are a bit less essential electorally, but they may tell us the most about whether the polls are off in this election. If there's one state where Obama is likely to overperform his polls, it's in Georgia, where 35 percent of early voters are African-American, and where almost 30 percent of them did not vote in 2004. These are the sorts of voters that may erroneously be screened out by "likely voter" models that rely on past voting history. Obama could not only carry the state, but he might help boost Jim Martin to victory in the U.S. Senate race there—giving the Democrats a plausible path to a 60-seat caucus.

On the other hand, if there is any state where the polls might overestimate Obama's numbers, it's in New Hampshire, where nearly the entirely electorate is white and where Obama was famously upset by Hillary Clinton during the primaries. If McCain holds Obama to within about five points in New Hampshire—closer than any current polls—we may need to be worried about some sort of Bradley Effect.

7:30 PM EST. Polls close in Ohio and North Carolina.

The dynamic to look for in these states involves early voting: more than twice as many people have voted early in North Carolina as did in 2004, and nearly three times as many in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), Ohio. Recent polling indicates that Obama may have a lead of 20-30 points among early voters in Ohio and a 10-20 point lead in North Carolina. If Republican turnout is at all depressed on Election Day—because of anything from bad weather to low morale—that may be too large a deficit for McCain to make up.

8 PM EST. Polls close in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Missouri.

Use caution when interpreting the results from these three states; Missouri in particular is notorious for nearly having been called prematurely both in the 2006 senate race and in this year's Democratic primary. In each state, Barack Obama will rack up huge vote totals in the cities (Philadelphia, Detroit and St. Louis respectively) while trying to hold his own in the rest of the state. If the city numbers come in first, Obama's margins will be exaggerated. If the rural numbers come in first, Obama's prospects will be much better than they appear.

But Pennsylvania in particular is the one to watch. If Barack Obama holds onto Pennsylvania—the only state where John McCain seems to have been closing the gap over the last week of the campaign—then winning virtually any red state (Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Colorado, Missouri) would probably clinch the election for him.

9 PM EST. Polls close in Colorado, New Mexico, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Wisconsin and Minnesota should be called fairly quickly for Obama; if they aren't, that's a sign that something has gone truly wrong for the Democratic ticket. New Mexico looks like a safe Obama-state too, but since its vote-counting is notoriously slow, it may take longer to call. The key number to watch in Minnesota should be the difference between Obama's margin of victory and Al Franken's tally in his Senate race against Norm Coleman. If Franken is staying within 5-7 points of Obama as the vote begins to roll in—say, for example, Franken leads by 2 while Obama leads by 7—then Obama's coattails should carry Franken into the Senate. If not, the race may be Norm Coleman's to lose.

Colorado, meanwhile, is the last of what I'd characterize as this year's "Big Three" states (the others are Pennsylvania and Virginia). If Pennsylvania and Virginia have split their votes (and Obama hasn't picked up Ohio or Florida), then Obama probably wins if he wins Colorado, and loses if he doesn't.

10 PM EST. Polls close in Nevada, Iowa, Montana and New York.

This is the earliest point at which the race might be officially called for Barack Obama—there just aren't enough electoral votes out there, even if he's swept every swing state, to get him to 270 until New York's 31 come in. But assuming that we don't know the outcome of the election by this time, Nevada, where Obama has expanded his lead and where much of the state has already voted, could be Obama's ace in the hole—possibly offsetting a loss in Pennsylvania if paired with other pickups like Colorado and Virginia. The key area to watch in Nevada is Washoe County (Reno), which John Kerry lost by 4 points in 2004 but where the Obama campaign has registered thousands of new voters. If Obama wins Washoe, that means the state—and probably the country—is his.

11 PM EST. Polls close in California, Oregon and Washington.

None of these states are in play in the presidential contest this year. The status of the race, however, could have a potential impact on California's Proposition 8, which seeks to strike down same-sex marriage. If Obama appears as though he's headed toward a landslide victory, crestfallen conservatives might not bother heading for the polls to vote for Prop 8.

Finally, even if the presidential race has been called by that point, Democrats looking for a little schadenfreude may want to stay up late until the midnight poll close in Alaska, where Ted Stevens is almost certain to be bounced from his Senate seat by Democratic challenger Mark Begich. Should the Democrats pull out an upset in Georgia or Kentucky, it may be Stevens' seat that gets them over the top to a 60-man majority.

Nate Silver is the creator of FiveThirtyEight.com, a popular political blog.

NC dentist buying back Halloween candy

2008-11-04T00:51:00.000-05:00
The Daily News of Jacksonville reported Monday that Dr. Jack Winchester of Morehead City is paying $1 a pound for the candy to promote dental health. He said the buyback runs through Tuesday, and the candy will be sent to deployed troops.

Winchester said he got the idea at a dental seminar. He bought 300 pounds of candy last year and hopes to double that amount this year.

In addition to candy, Winchester mailed troops cards and colored pages from the kids who turned in their stash. He is a former Navy dentist and said he enjoyed getting letters and gifts during deployments.

Drivers in Jefferson and Old Fort Gas Woes Part 2

2008-11-03T15:30:00.003-05:00
Some folks who bought gas recently at the Old Fort Citgo report that they found water mixed with their fuel, which forced them to pay for expensive repairs to their cars.

Some drivers say they never made it out of the gas station's parking lot after filling up, while others reported that they broke down on the interstate.

Meanwhile, the owner of the Old Fort Citgo and another western North Carolina gas station will have to repay consumers thousands of dollars for overpriced gas, N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper said Friday.
The Old Fort Police Department has received nine written complaints about bad gas at the station on Catawba Avenue. One report states a mixture of water and kerosene was found in the fuel tank, while another says water came out of the hose mixed with fuel. Officers say several calls came in from the state Highway Patrol about drivers breaking down on the interstate, according to other media reports.
Tony Brown of Brown Brothers Construction said he filled up his truck with $60 worth of gas at the Old Fort Citgo. But the bad gas ended up costing him more than $700 in repairs. Brown told WLOS News 13 that, when he drained the tank of gas, about 40 percent of it was water.

In addition, the state attorney general said Friday that owners of Old Fort Citgo and The Corner Market gas station in Jefferson agreed to repay customers who purchased overpriced gas from them on Sept. 12 and 13. At Old Fort Citgo, prices reached $4.99, up from $3.99.
Cooper's investigation found that Old Fort Citgo overcharged customers $1,897.17 on Sept. 12 and 13. The attorney general's office claims the gas station overcharged customers $959.50 between Sept. 12 and 17 for diesel fuel, which sold for as much as $4.89 a gallon.

Under an agreement signed by Old Fort Citgo, the gas station will refund customers who paid by credit card the amount they were overcharged on Sept. 12 and 13. The exact amount of refunds, which will appear as credits to consumers' credit cards, will vary depending on which grade of gasoline or diesel fuel they purchased. Consumers who paid cash have 30 days to present a receipt or other proof of purchase to the station for a refund. Old Fort Citgo will also pay $5,000 in civil penalties, which will go to North Carolina schools.

At The Corner Market in Jefferson, a gallon of regular unleaded fuel topped out at $5.29. Consumers will get refunds of up to $1.69 per gallon by credit card or in person for those who paid cash and have proof. This store will also pay $5,000 in civil penalties.
Cooper has subpoenaed 36 gas stations and two others have agreed to make refunds.
Both stations must provide the Attorney General's Office with a sworn accounting of all refunds they make to consumers. Any amount that is unable to be returned to consumers will go to a special fund to provide energy assistance to people in Ashe and McDowell counties.

Drivers in Jefferson and Old Fort Gas Woes Part 1

2008-11-03T15:30:00.001-05:00
Attorney General Announces Gas Refunds and New Subpoenas
North Carolina lauched a gas price gouging investigation in September 12
Raleigh, NC -- Owners of The Corner Market gas station in Jefferson and Old Fort Citgo in Old Fort will repay customers thousands of dollars for overpriced gas, the Attorney General'S office announced Friday.

Cooper began investigating possible price gouging by North Carolina gas stations after thousands of consumer complaints started pouring into his office on September 12 when Hurricane Ike threatened refineries on the Gulf Coast and prices at the pumps skyrocketed.

Including today's action, Cooper has subpoenaed owners of 36 gas stations in Anson, Ashe, Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Craven, Cumberland, Guilford, Iredell, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Stanley, Transylvania and Yadkin counties as part of his investigation. Earlier this month, two other station owners agreed to provide refunds to consumers for overpriced gas, and Cooper filed suit against the Tire Pro/Troy BP in Montgomery County. The investigation is continuing.

Cooper's investigation revealed that The Corner Market gas station located at 1462 US Highway 221 North in Jefferson marked up its prices from $3.69 to $3.99 per gallon on September 12. Later in the day, the station further increased its prices from $3.99 to $5.29 per gallon. This means that The Corner Market overcharged consumers by more than $1,600 on September 12, according to the Attorney General's investigation.

Under an agreement signed by The Corner Market, the gas station will refund up to $1.69 per gallon to consumers who bought gas by credit card on September 12. The refunds will appear as credits to consumers' credit cards. Consumers who paid cash have 30 days to present a receipt or other proof of purchase to the station for a refund. The company will also pay $5,000 in civil penalties, which will go to North Carolina schools.

Both companies must provide the Attorney General's Office with a sworn accounting of all refunds they make to consumers. Any amount that is unable to be returned to consumers will go to a special fund to provide energy assistance to people in Ashe and McDowell counties.

2.5 million in North Carolina have voted early

2008-11-03T15:24:00.000-05:00
More than 2.5 million N.C. voters cast their ballots early this year, more than doubling the previous record of 1.1 million, set in 2004.

That's an astonishing turnout of 41 percent of the state's registered voters – before Election Day.

It comes in a year when North Carolina has down-to-the-wire races for governor and U.S. senator, not to mention the Barack Obama-John McCain battle for the state's 15 electoral votes.

“Early voting has been extraordinary,” said Ferrel Guillory, director of the UNC Program on Public Life. “The state did early voting to give people choices and convenience and it's worked.”

In Mecklenburg, the combination of walk-in early voters and absentee voters is expected to total 232,838, said Michael Dickerson, the county's director of elections.

That's 37 percent of the county's registered voters. In 2004, 91,354 voted early in Mecklenburg.

“I thought we did pretty darn good this year,” Dickerson said Sunday, adding he had expected the figure to be 150,000 or 160,000.

The local site with the biggest turnout: Marion Diehl Recreation Center on Tyvola Road, where 15,487 voted. It had the most voting machines.

North Carolina was part of a national trend of voters braving long lines to vote early: About 27 million absentee and early votes were cast in 30 states as of Saturday night, more than ever. As in North Carolina, Democrats outnumbered Republicans in pre-Election Day voting in key states.

Data released by N.C. elections officials give a glimpse at the types of voters who cast ballots early – more Democrats than Republicans and a surge in black voters. That could spell good news for Democrat Obama. It also presents a challenge for Republican McCain, who is banking heavily on Election Day voters.

“Obama will go into Election Day with a 200,000 to 300,000 vote lead,” said Raleigh-based pollster Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling. “The question is whether McCain will be able to get enough of his voters out to overtake that . . . Rain on Tuesday would be Barack Obama's best friend in North Carolina.”

Guillory pointed out that the Republican Party's “72 Hour Project,” a get-out-the-vote campaign that has a formidable track record, has just started.

“It's not aimed at early voters,” he said, but on bumping up the GOP turnout on Election Day.

To try to get ahead of that Republican turnout machine, Obama's campaign has stressed early voting.

Many of his supporters clearly got the message.

Statewide, about 51 percent of the early voters were registered Democrats, while Republicans accounted for about 31 percent. Among all N.C. registered voters, Democrats represent about 46 percent and Republicans about 32 percent.

Black voters, who polls show overwhelmingly back Obama, made up more than a quarter, or 26.1 percent, of the early voters. Among all N.C. registered voters, blacks account for slightly more than a fifth, or 21.8 percent.

Jensen, who has done polls for several Democratic candidates, said he expects McCain to get more votes than Obama of those cast on election day in North Carolina. The key question for McCain: Will he get enough?

The statistics also give a hint that younger voters may be turning out in greater numbers that past elections.

Guillory said North Carolina's high early voter turnout numbers are a testament to not only heightened interest in this year's presidential race, but also to the state's robust population gains in recent years.

The 2,573,206 early voters this year, he said, is just below the total number of N.C. voters – 2,618,326 – who turned out on Election Day just 12 years ago, to decide the 1996 presidential contest.

Changes Made In Car Inspections

2008-11-03T15:23:00.000-05:00
Written by Bruce Ferrell

(RALEIGH) — North Carolina will launch an electronic system to keep track of vehicle inspections Saturday, letting drivers get rid of that sticker on the windshield. The new method is also designed to synchronize when car owners must get their vehicles inspected and when they renew their vehicle registrations.

In fact, the law, which went into effect Saturday, blocks people from registering their vehicles until they are inspected.

The law requires mechanics to enter vehicle inspection information directly into a state database. That will allow the state to stop printing windshield stickers; instead, drivers will be notified of their inspection and registration deadlines by mail.

The overall goal is to get more people to follow the laws about inspections and registration while improving air quality and t

Harrah's Cherokee Casino in WNC braces for potential loses this year for the first time in its 10-year history

2008-11-03T15:21:00.001-05:00
Casino suffers in sour economy

Jon Ostendorff

Brenda Wentz recently made the 2 1/2-hour drive from her home in Lincolnton to try her luck at the machines inside Harrah's Cherokee Casino.

She brought her 84-year-old mother — who cares nothing about gambling — to see the fall colors and dine at a restaurant in the casino's hotel.

The economy and gas prices didn't keep them away. Instead, it pushed them toward a gambling trip.

“It gets our minds off things,” Wentz said.

Harrah's Cherokee Casino, one of the largest private employers in Western North Carolina, is betting on people like Wentz as it braces for potential losses this year for the first time in its 10-year history.

Customers are down 15 percent. And the second of the year's twice annual payouts to members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians could be less than the check before — another first for the tribe.

“It is this next quarter that is going to be telling,” said Joyce Dugan, the casino's director of external relations and a former principal chief of the Eastern Band. “We just don't know. No one knows from day to day what the market is going to be.”

What the casino does know is it is in a better position than most other gambling houses as the nation confronts what could be a years-long recession.

At Harrah's Cherokee, a $633 million expansion is not only moving forward but speeding up thanks to cheap labor and even cheaper money.

About a month before the economic crisis that decimated the credit market, Harrah's renegotiate its loan on the project to 4.42 percent rate — a fee almost unheard of today.

“You can look at us as pure geniuses or just real lucky,” said Erik Sneed, who is overseeing the expansion for the casino. “We like to think that we are geniuses.”

Two pots of money

The area behind the casino, once reserved for staff parking, was a bustling scene of workmen and equipment on a recent day this week. Crews are building a massive retaining wall.

Across U.S. 19 from the casino hotel's entrance is row after row of trailer offices for contractors working on the expansion. The project will double the gambling floor space and turn Harrah's Cherokee into a resort-like destination with a third hotel tower and a spa, company officials have said.

Dugan has heard the criticism in the community.

People have wondered why the casino should continue its expansion when profits, and per-cap, are potentially going to be down.

And it's an easy complaint to make with a high-profile project there for everyone to see.

She confronts that head on with one simple fact: There are two pots of money.

From one pot, which is operating revenue, comes the payments the casino makes to the tribe — an estimated $252.9 million a year based on 2007 per-capita check totals. Each of the tribe's 13,500 members got $9,318 last year.

From another pot, which is a loan the casino draws down from as needed, comes the money for the expansion. Harrah's Cherokee has spent about $40 million so far.

The point Dugan has been working to make on the Cherokee Indian Reservation is that the casino has to be ready when the economy turns around. And with a loan that is probably the cheapest Harrah's Cherokee will ever see, combined with plenty of labor, now is the time, she said.

“We always have to reinvent ourselves,” Dugan said. “Every year that we have done that, we have seen a spike.”

The casino normally gets 3.5 million visitors a year — making it one of the state's top tourism attractions.

Owner's market

Harrah's Cherokee is in much better shape than others in the gambling business, Sneed said.

Casinos from Las Vegas to New Jersey are shelving billions of dollars in expansion plans as profits lag. The 11 gambling houses in Atlantic City in September reported their biggest drop ever in 30 years. The amount of money they won from gamblers plunged 15.1 percent from September a year ago.

Revenue was down between 18 and 22 percent for some of the casinos.

The decline in gambling at casinos is contrasted with increasing lottery sales. The N.C. Education Lottery reports $109.5 million in sales in September — a number almost double the previous September's sales. Lottery officials attributed some of the spike to the highest ever Powerball jackpot — $300 million — in North Carolina.

Officials in Cherokee say they stand to come back stronger with the expansion.

“It is our plan that by the time the economy starts moving up we will be ready with a whole new facility to capitalize on that,” Sneed said.

The expansion is expected to add 1,000 new jobs, 5,200 new games, a 3,000-seat event center, a third parking tower, a 16,000-square-foot luxury spa and new luxury restaurants by 2012.

Sneed, who deals daily with the contractors and sub-contractors working on the project, is seeing the benefits of being almost the only big game in the South during a slumping economy.

Casino projects just two years ago were seeing construction management fees of 4-6 percent. Today, the Harrah's project can command 1 3/4 to 2 percent.

“All of this really has come together well for us,” he said. “We have resources beating on our door, lots of large contractors looking for work, lots of subs coming here looking for work.”

The project has completely exhausted the Tribal Employment Rights Office job bank. The agency makes sure that qualified tribal members are hired first for jobs using Eastern Band money.

The Labor Ready office in Asheville, which provides day laborers, is also busing in workers, Sneed said.

Sneed estimates he has 20 local firms on the expansion job. The project is employing 150 total workers and at its height could employ 1,000.

Casino jobs

Dugan said the company is doing everything it can to prevent layoffs. For example, Harrah's allows workers to go home early during periods of low customer turnout to conserve payroll funds.

“Most of the time employees will volunteer for that to get some time off,” she said. “We are doing everything we can because we have always been about employment.”

Harrah's Cherokee has about 1,800 workers. The company is now only hiring for critical positions and will reduce its work force through attrition, Dugan said.

Business and investment experts have long considered casinos recession-proof, but this economic crisis has proven them wrong.

One of the problems has been fuel costs. Past recessions haven't been coupled with skyrocketing gas prices and a late summer fuel shortage across the South.

Harrah's Cherokee is a place customers get to by car. So when gas jumped to $4 a gallon — if you could find it — in downtown Atlanta this summer, Harrah's took the hit.

The fall, normally a busy time, has been slow.

Casino officials aren't sure what the fourth quarter will bring. The last three months of the year is the casino's second busiest season after summer.

Leeann Bridges-McHattie, vice president of marketing, said Harrah's Cherokee has changed the way it spends money courting visitors to reflect the nation's economically conservative mood.

“I feel that people are more concerned about their own personal situations,” she said.

A large part of the casino's market is retired or approaching retirement. Big loses in investments, like 401(k)s, have had those players holding back.

“They are feeling the impact significantly,” she said.

The message Harrah's Cherokee is sending out is more muted than it has been in the past.

Instead of trying to reel folks, the casino is telling them the entertainment is there and it's as good as ever — when you are ready to visit.

Harrah's Cherokee has focused on billboards instead of the flashy TV ads it had been known for. Others in the market are doing the same, Bridges-McHattie said.

“That is the approach that we are taking,” she said.

Odds of single vote deciding election: 1 in 60M

2008-11-02T20:15:00.000-05:00
Odds of single vote deciding election: 1 in 60M
BY SETH BORENSTEIN

Voting for president and having your ballot be the deciding one cast _ statistically, that is like trying to hit the lottery. The odds for the average person are 60 million to 1 against it, a study shows.

In some states, the odds of being the vote that tips the election to your candidate are much better. In others they are astronomically worse.

The study by three prominent statisticians used millions of computer runs of polling data to examine the likelihood that a single vote will carry a state and that that particular state will tip the balance in the Electoral College. The statisticians were trying to answer the question: "What is the probability your vote will make a difference?"

The answer is very low. You are far more likely to be hit twice by lightning.

Trying to figure out what the odds would be if the polls are wrong and the race is tighter than expected, the statisticians made some more calculations after boosting John McCain's numbers across the board and figured the average person would then have a 1 in 12 million chance of their vote deciding the election.

Either way, "it's still a chance, it's like buying a Powerball ticket," said study lead author Andrew Gelman, a professor of statistics and political science at Columbia University.

For some people, though, the odds approach fathomable numbers. Residents of swing states have the best odds of swinging the election. That's based not on the size of the state but the likelihood that the race will be close and that their state will make the difference in the Electoral College.

In New Mexico, the odds are 1 in 6.1 million of a voter casting the ultimate deciding vote.

"If you're in New Mexico, you have a better chance of having your vote matter than winning the New York Lottery," said study co-author Aaron Edlin, a professor of economics and law at the University of California, Berkeley.

In Virginia, the odds are 1 in 7.9 million. New Hampshire residents have 1 in 8 million chance of being the key vote. In Colorado, the odds are 1 in 9.9 million. In those states, voters are more likely to decide the election than die by dog bite this year.

For everyone else after those four states, fat chance. The next lowest odds _ for Nevada _ are 1 in 28.2 million, worse than death-by-dog bite odds of 1 in 10.9 million in one year.

Thirty-four states have odds greater than 1 in 100 million; 20 states have odds worse than 1 in 1 billion. Alabama's odds are 1 in 12.2 billion. Oklahoma's odds are 1 in 20.5 billion. But the nation's capital has it the worst. The odds of a District of Columbia resident casting the vote that decides the election are 1 in 490 billion.

That's essentially zero, but Gelman said: "We never like to say zero in statistics."

The third author is prominent baseball statistician Nate Silver, who also runs the political polling Web site http://www.fivethirtyeight.com. (There are 538 electoral votes nationwide.) The polling used for their study is from Silver's Web site and aggregates numerous polls of varying standards.

Even though the odds are against their own votes making a difference, the authors plan to vote, mostly out of altruism and civic duty. And they urge everyone to do so, no matter what the odds of their vote being the deciding factor.

Gelman lives in New York, where the odds are 1.9 billion to 1 that his vote will make the difference. "I always vote," he said. "I do think that it's a privilege that we have."

___

Real Halloween back for long traumatized Pa. town

2008-10-30T10:14:00.000-04:00
OIL CITY, Pa. – For 16 years, real horror overshadowed the make-believe terror of Halloween in this Pennsylvania town, where trick-or-treating after dark was banned after an 11-year-old girl was abducted off the street and murdered.

But on Friday, pint-sized witches, princesses and vampires will once again be shuffling from house to house at night, thanks to a petition drive by a fifth-grader.

Elizabeth Roess gathered signatures, wrote an essay outlining her argument, and persuaded City Council two months ago to bring back nighttime trick-or-treating.

"I was a little scared that happened," Elizabeth said of the 1992 slaying of Shauna Howe, who was kidnapped while walking home from a pre-Halloween party. But she added: "I did this and now I'm so happy."

For weeks now, children and their parents in this struggling, working-class town of 10,000 about 80 miles north of Pittsburgh have been eagerly anticipating Halloween's return, though not without some trepidation.

Shannon Goodman got a tether to make sure her 2-year-old daughter, who will dress as a witch, doesn't wander off while they go door to door. "It's going to be a lot of fun, but every parent who cares about their kid should have that fear," she said.

Fifteen-year-old Braden Craig said: "I have a gut-wrenching feeling something bad's going to happen."

The police department plans to have seven officers on duty Friday night, or about twice the usual number, in addition to four school security guards and all 10 of the town's crossing guards.

"If this all goes well, that's great, that's fantastic. I long for those days, too. But the world has changed," said Police Chief Robert Wenner, a father of five who was a patrolman when the murder occurred.

The local radio station has been running a public service announcement by Wenner urging parents to accompany their children, examine any candy before it is eaten and make sure kids wear reflective material.

The police chief said Shauna's murder shattered the "Mayberry attitude" many people in Oil City had toward their hometown.

Shauna, whose family no longer lives in the area, was abducted on Oct. 27. Three days later, her battered body was found under a railroad trestle eight miles away.

With the town gripped by fear that a child killer was on the loose, trick-or-treating the next day was held in daylight for the first time. Police watched from helicopters as parents led their children from house to house along quiet streets.

Residents also began locking their doors and driving their children to school. And every year afterward, the City Council voted to allow trick-or-treating in the afternoon only, a move duplicated around the same time by many other U.S. cities and towns worried about children's safety.

The Oil City murder remained unsolved until a witness came forward four years ago and police turned to DNA evidence. Two brothers were arrested and convicted of murder and sexual assault. A third man pleaded guilty to murder.

Hoping to move Halloween back to night hours, Elizabeth, her mother, grandmother and family friends gathered 175 signatures. The 10-year-old also wrote a paper in which she made her case. Among her reasons: Halloween decorations are best appreciated at night, and many people aren't home during the day to give out candy.

The council vote was unanimous. Elizabeth plans on dressing up as a Goth princess bride.

"Unfortunately, Shauna's tragedy seemed to define Oil City for many years," Oil City blogger John Noel Bartlett wrote on his Web site. "It's time to move on."

Synchronized Presidential Debating

2008-10-30T09:29:00.001-04:00

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

John Daly In Trouble In Carolina/ Video of Beer Can Tee

2008-10-29T23:30:00.004-04:00
Just a bit over an hour away from the High Country this from http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1854824,00.html

By Staff Reports
Published: October 29, 2008

When you hear the words "Hooters," "John Daly" and "extremely intoxicated" in the same sentence, you know where this story is going.

In the latest chapter of Daly's longtime struggle with alcohol abuse, he was held overnight in a North Carolina jail after passing out at a Hooters restaurant, according to a statement released by Winston-Salem police on Wednesday.

Police officers were called to the Hooters at 120 Hanes Square Circle in Winston-Salem at 2:17 a.m. Sunday. When police arrived, Daly, who had passed out at the restaurant, was already being treated by emergency medical workers, according to police reports. Emergency workers said Daly refused to go to a hospital.

According to police, Daly "appeared extremely intoxicated and uncooperative." Daly again refused to go to the hospital and was eventually asked to leave by Hooters employees, police said.

Because Daly had no transportation, police said they held him in custody at a local jail until he sobered up. Daly was photographed by police but does not appear to have been charged with any crime.

This is the latest in a series of headlines about the long-hitting star, who came from nowhere to win the 1991 PGA Championship. This year, he made a bizarre appearance at the British Open, where he accused his former coach Butch Harmon of lying about Daly's alcohol abuse and then struggled to break 90, and he played a shirtless round in Missouri for a local TV crew, which became a YouTube hit.

And the classic Beer Can Tee at a Pro Am: John Daly hit a drive at Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc, Mich. off a 24 oz. can of Budweiser. Also notice his pro-am partner - Detroit's own Kid Rock.

Interstate 26 Tuesday afternoon to let a mother bear retrieve her dead cub from the roadside

2008-10-29T14:59:00.001-04:00
**I have never heard of this happening before**

Woodfin Police had to close westbound Interstate 26 Tuesday afternoon to let a mother bear retrieve her dead cub from the roadside.

The interstate was closed for about 25 minutes, Woodfin Police Sgt. Dawn Roberts said.

Roberts said the cub, which weighed about 80 pounds, was struck by a vehicle and died in the road just east of the New Stock Road exit. “It was killed straight out,” she said.

But the mother bear wasn’t willing to walk away. “She was coming to take care of us and her cub,” she said.

“She was trying to figure out what was going on. She didn’t realize the cub was dead,” Roberts said. “She came out in the road a couple of times.”

Woodfin officers have dealt with many bear sightings recently, she said, and they knew of the risk getting between the mother and cub.

“Even though it was dead, the mother still wanted to take care of it,” Roberts said. “She was wanting to get her baby.”

So as officers armed with rifles stood watch, others pulled the cub to the roadside where the mother bear could get to it. The mother immediately “grabbed it by the scuff of the neck and pulled it off the roadway,” Roberts said. “She pulled it off into the woods. She was tending to it.”

Roberts said the mother bear weighted about 200 pounds.

High Country radio stations to be bought

2008-10-28T18:37:00.001-04:00
***story from our news director, posted on GBR Tuesday afternoon**

Aisling Broadcasting, which includes 1450 WATA-AM Boone, 1130 WECR-AM Newland, 102.3 WECR-FM Beech Mountain, 106.1 WMMY-FM Jefferson, 1200 WXIT-AM Blowing Rock and 100.7 WZJS-FM Banner Elk, may be going under new ownership in the coming weeks or months.

Curtis Media Group made a bid just under $2.4 million on the cluster of stations.

Donald Curtis is the president and C.E.O. of Curtis Media Group. He has been in the broadcasting industry for 40 years and owns and operates 19 stations in North Carolina.

Under the proposed arrangement, Curtis Media Group would go into joint ownership with Foothills Media Group, based in Lenoir.

If finalized, the six-station cluster in the High Country would be known as High Country ADventures.

According to sources within Aisling Broadcasting, Curtis’ bid must be approved at a court hearing and by the Federal Communications Commission before the deal officially closes.

The sources said this deal is far from completion, as the door is open for a challenger to out-bid Curtis for the company.

First snow of fall/winter 2008

2008-10-28T13:05:00.002-04:00
Video I took the morning of Wednesday Oct 28 2008 of the first snow of the season.

Dallas Cowboy's Punter Sam Paulescu Big Hit

2008-10-26T22:49:00.000-04:00

Top Yahoo Viewed Picture of Price Lake

2008-10-23T23:41:00.001-04:00
Jim Morton of Grandfather Mountain records one of the top Yahoo Viewed Pictures of Thursday Oct 23.

SoCal voters cast ballots in drive-through style

2008-10-21T13:07:00.000-04:00
SANTA ANA, Calif. – There were no burgers, car washes or lattes at this Orange County drive-through — just democracy.

Eager voters pulled their vehicles into the county registrar's parking lot on Monday to either register or cast ballots at an electronic drive-through poll station.

The one-day-only offer came on the last day of voter registration for Californians. Only Orange County was offering the drive-through electronic voting service.

Some registrar offices across the state held late-night hours and set up drop boxes to receive voter registration forms before the midnight deadline.

Orange County Registrar Neal Kelley noted that voter registration is up 15 percent in Orange County from four years ago, and the electronic early voting was a chance to lessen the crowds next month.

"I know it is going to be busy as heck," he said of Election Day. "We're preparing for heavy turnout."

Although Kelley said he believes the drive-through is the first one to use electronic voting, the concept of casting ballots from a driver's seat is not new to California or the nation.

Sonoma County, for example, has long had a drive-up window where voters can drop paper ballots. A town in Vermont offered the same opportunity in 2006.

In Riverside County, voters can cast ballots this month from a roving "votemobile" that is traveling across the area.

Joe Biden is John McCain??

2008-10-08T22:52:00.002-04:00

Interview with the guy that made the goof
http://www.us1035.com/pages/travis&jenny.html

More Bogus Obama Donors Surface

2008-10-08T22:26:00.001-04:00
CBS News has learned that two donors to the Obama campaign that gave a total of $7,722 appear to have made their contributions under fake names that look like they were written by a mouse running across a keyboard: Dahsudhu Hdusahfd of Df, Hawaii with the following employer CZXVC/ZXVZXV and Uadhshgu Hduadh listed as living in Dhff, Florida

read more | digg story

Alleging fraud, authorities raid voter group

2008-10-08T22:17:00.001-04:00
Group associated with Obama now spreading in Indiana,Missouri Nevada,And Ohio notice a pattern.Get real.

read more | digg story

The Pro-Barack Vote-Fraud Drive

2008-10-08T22:09:00.001-04:00
No matter how hard he tries, Barrack IS tied to ACORN and ACORN is illegally circumventing the laws of voting in America.

read more | digg story

How Much is $700 Billion?

2008-10-01T14:28:00.001-04:00
Here's how $700 billion — the figure inked in the initial dead-in-the-water government bailout bill for Wall Street — compares to other vast sums. NASA agency's budget: $17.6 billion, or 2.5 percent of the bailout sum. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has an annual budget of $6.06 billion. Social Security is a $608 billion annual program...

read more | digg story

A day of what I should be doing but are videos

2008-09-29T13:08:00.002-04:00
Today there are several things I should be doing not that I am killing the day but it is Monday so instead I share some items that are getting me thru the day

In China, 53,000 children sickened by milk

2008-09-22T14:44:00.001-04:00
(We need to pray for these children and pray that this does not bleed over to the US. Even though there are no cases in the US yet, this is yet another reason why we should not buy as much stuff from China as we do. Recall the pet food scare??)

In China, 53,000 children sickened by milk
Chinese authorities promise to crack down on those responsible for tainted formula.
From the Associated Press
September 22, 2008

BEIJING -- The number of children sickened by tainted milk in China has jumped to nearly 53,000, the government said Sunday as it vowed to crack down on those responsible.

More than 80% of the 12,892 children hospitalized in recent weeks were 2 years old or younger, the Health Ministry said in a statement posted on its website. It said most consumed infant formula from the Sanlu Group.

An additional 39,965 children received outpatient treatment and were considered "basically recovered," the ministry said.

Over the weekend, the Chinese territory of Hong Kong reported the first known illness outside mainland China -- a 3-year-old girl who developed kidney stones after drinking Chinese dairy products. She was discharged from a hospital, a Hong Kong government statement said.

Singapore said it had found traces of melamine in a Chinese candy.

In the two weeks since the government acknowledged the contamination, it has issued recalls for dairy products from 22 companies after tests turned up traces of the chemical melamine. The Health Ministry said that most of the hospitalized were sickened by powdered milk and formula.

The ministry did not say why the number of cases had risen so much from the 6,200 previously reported, but it suggested that health officials were combing through hospital records from May through August to trace the origins of the contamination. The three deaths linked to tainted infant formula occurred in those months, the statement said.

Beijing has launched high-profile efforts to show it is on top of the crisis, with Premier Wen Jiabao appearing on state-run television Sunday to say dairy companies had to show more "social responsibility."

Wen was shown visiting a Beijing hospital where children were having health checks.

"What we are trying to do is to ensure no such event happens in future, by punishing those responsible leaders as well as enterprises. None of those companies lacking professional ethics or social morals will be let off," Wen said, according to the official New China News Agency.

ABC News Edited Out Key Parts of Sarah Palin Interview

2008-09-20T17:49:00.001-04:00
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2008/09/13/abc-news-edited-out-key-parts-sarah-palin-interview

Platform Review: Candidate Positions on Science and Tech Issues

2008-09-20T17:16:00.000-04:00
John McCain and Barack Obama have spent the past few weeks fighting over the state of the economy and whether pigs wear lipstick, but they also have real policy differences when it comes to health, science and technology. The following is a brief overview of each candidate’s position on a number of the most pressing issues.

Broadband Adoption

The U.S. lags behind Canada, South Korea and most of northern Europe in per-capita broadband “penetration,” or how much of its population has a high-speed Internet connection. Many Democrats have called for better and faster Internet access to make up for this gap.

McCain and Obama both say they believe broadband access must be universal in the U.S., and both support opening up the wireless spectrum and have proposed public/private partnerships to help broadband access reach underserved and rural areas.

The Federal Communications Commission currently defines “broadband” as 200 kbps, which Obama says is “astonishingly low.” He proposes defining that upward so that slower connections can’t label themselves as broadband. Obama also says that broadband must reach all schools, libraries and hospitals.

McCain supports allowing local governments to build broadband infrastructure when private companies fail to do so.

Cancer Research

Both McCain and Obama have pledged to increase cancer funding for research and improve patient access to screening and clinical trials. (The National Cancer Institute’s total budget has been reduced under the Bush administration from $4.83 billion in 2005 to $4.75 billion in 2007.)

McCain, who has had four malignant melanomas — the deadliest type of skin cancer — removed since 1993, has said he will reverse the trend of cutting cancer funding and will double funding to the National Institutes of Health for cancer research. He will also work to better coordinate efforts between the NIH, the National Cancer Institute, and the private sector, so that research can be translated quickly and more efficiently to patients’ bedsides.

Obama, whose mother died from ovarian cancer, also supports doubling cancer research funding and has called the cuts to the National Cancer Institute counterproductive, saying they hurt the country’s tradition of “medical innovation.” As president, he says he will make ending cancer a “top priority” and increase funding to both the NCI and the NIH.

Climate Change

President Bush has called for halting the growth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, a stance that environmental groups consider insufficient.

Both Obama and McCain agree that greenhouse gas emissions threaten the environment. Both have announced plans to reduce those emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020, and both support the idea of setting limits while providing economic incentives to industrial polluters, called cap-and-trade, in order to ease the transition for companies as they lower their emissions.

Obama supports re-engaging the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and proposes creating a Global Energy Forum, composed of the world’s largest energy-consuming nations. Obama generally follows the Democratic Party line on climate change. He plans to reduce emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

In contrast, McCain has called for lowering emissions to only 60 percent below those levels by 2050. One of the first senators to raise the call to combat global warming, McCain supports CAFE standards, the fleet-mileage requirements that carmakers must meet or otherwise face penalties. He proposes increasing those penalties so that car companies can not dodge them. McCain is out of step with the Republican Party on climate change.

Evolution and Creationism

In 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in case of Edwards v. Aguillard that to require the teaching of “creation science” alongside evolution violated the First Amendment by promoting religion.

Creationism is the belief that God created the universe and everything in it, as described in Genesis. A variant of creationism, intelligent design, essentially accepts evolution but argues that Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection cannot fully explain the origin of life or the emergence of highly complex life forms. It looks to an unnamed intelligent force as the creator and guider of life.

Almost all scientists oppose teaching creationism and intelligent design because they have no scientific basis. Both McCain and Obama believe in evolution, and neither candidate wishes to see intelligent design taught as a science.

Obama does not support teaching intelligent design in schools at all. “Intelligent design is not science,” he said at a town hall event in Illinois. “I think it’s a mistake to try to cloud the teaching of science with theories that frankly don’t hold up to scientific inquiry,” he told the York Daily Record.

McCain has not clearly stated his position on the teaching of intelligent design in school. “I happen to believe in evolution,” he has said. “I respect those who think the world was created in seven days. Should it be taught as a science class? Probably not.”

But McCain has not ruled out teaching it in other classes, and he has said that “there’s nothing wrong with teaching different schools of thought.” He says that local school boards, not the federal government, should determine school curricula.

‘Green’ Technology

McCain and Obama both demand a reduced reliance on foreign oil and support “clean coal technology,” which will reduce carbon emissions from burned coal. Both support “smart” electric grids to reduce energy use at home, and both support developing alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power.

McCain hopes to build 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030, plans to offer a $5,000 tax credit for purchasing zero-carbon-emissions cars and has suggested a $300 million prize for building a better plug-in battery for hybrid and fully electric cars.

Obama plans to weatherize 1 million homes annually to reduce energy use; offer a $7,000 tax credit for purchasing no-carbon-emissions vehicles; and press for the use of more biofuels.

HIV/AIDS

President Bush created the $15 billion President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which helps treat and prevent HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean. The program was reauthorized this year, bumping U.S. contributions up to $48 billion over the next five years.

Obama has pledged to increase funding for PEPFAR to $50 billion and plans to revise the bill to include Southeast Asia, India and Eastern Europe. He hopes to enhance investments in anti-retroviral treatment and increase U.S. relief contributions. He also plans to establish a unit at the NIH solely dedicated to the development of microbicides, a class of products that women could use to protect themselves from contracting HIV and, experts say, could potentially halt 2.5 million new infections over a period of three years.

McCain has been a vocal supporter of PEPFAR, but has yet to detail a specific policy. He says current PEPFAR funding would be a launching point for him. McCain says corrupt governments are the biggest obstacle in building a solid health-care infrastructure in Africa.

Net Neutrality

Internet service providers (ISPs) want more money to build fiber-optic networks and increase their bandwidth as they become overloaded by video-streaming Web sites such as YouTube and by heavy downloaders of music, movies and TV shows.

Some ISPs propose asking YouTube and other data-intensive Web-based companies for fees that would ensure their content got to consumers quickly; companies who didn’t pay up would have their data transmitted at slower speeds.

Opponents say this would place “tolls” on the information superhighway, and suggest federal regulation to maintain the existing status quo, a state of “net neutrality” where every bit and byte is treated equally as they move along the Internet.

Obama “strongly supports the principle of network neutrality” and opposes a “two-tier Internet in which Web sites with the best relationships with network providers can get the fastest access to consumers, while all competing Web sites remain in a slower lane.”

McCain “does not believe in prescriptive regulation like ‘net-neutrality,’” and says the government should regulate the Internet only sparingly. “Government should have to prove regulation is needed,” he argues, “rather than have entrepreneurs prove it is not.”

Space Exploration

The Bush administration has long favored manned missions, which are risky, expensive and often scientifically unnecessary, over cheaper and safer robotic missions.

The current space shuttle program is set to expire in 2010, leaving a five-year gap until the next phase of manned space vehicles, the Constellation/Ares program, is ready for launch in 2015.

McCain supports manned spaceflight, which he says goes “well beyond the issue of scientific discovery and is a reflection of national power and pride.” He supports funding for NASA’s Constellation program to inaugurate a “new era of human exploration.” He would also keep the space shuttle program in operation until the new vehicles are completed in 2015.

Obama wants NASA to pursue “both human and robotic space exploration.” He stresses international cooperation and pledges to reestablish the National Aeronautics Space Council, which advised presidents for decades, to “oversee and coordinate civilian, military, commercial and national security space activities.”

Stem-Cell Research

Proponents of embryonic stem cell research believe it holds the key to finding cures for diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diabetes. President Bush has opposed federal funding for stem cells extracted from embryos that were created for the purpose of research.

The debate could soon be irrelevant, as recent advances in amniotic fluid, umbilical cord blood and adult stem cell research could aid in curing diseases without necessitating the destruction of embryos for use in research.

McCain takes a position similar to the president’s. While he opposes the intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes, he supports funding for stem cells retrieved from already destroyed embryos. Previously, McCain voted to ban the practice of “fetal farming,” making it a federal crime for researchers to use cells or fetal tissue from an embryo created for research purposes. McCain also supports funding for other stem cell research programs, including amniotic fluid and adult stem cell.

Obama supports expanding research on embryonic stem cells and would lift the restrictions Bush put in place. Obama believes embryos housed in fertility clinics that will not be used for reproductive purposes should be used for the purpose of stem cell research. He introduced legislation in the Illinois Senate to allow embryonic stem cell research in the state. Despite advances in the use of adult and cord blood stem cells, Obama believes embryonic stem cells hold a greater potential for fighting diseases.

Superbugs and Pandemics

Some scientists fear that “superbugs” — antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria — could bring about deadly worldwide pandemics. As many as 18,000 Americans die from MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus) infections each year, while drug-resistant tuberculosis is rampant in prisons.

The government is also preparing for the spread of viral diseases like the H5N1 avian flu, which some estimates suggest could kill up to 300 million people worldwide if it “jumps” to humans before a vaccine can be developed.

Under the Bush administration’s 2009 budget, the infectious disease program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would lose more than $34 million in funding, further restricting the CDC’s severely strapped antimicrobial resistance budget.

Both candidates have announced plans to combat the spread of disease, and both candidates say they strongly support full funding for the CDC.

McCain has outlined a plan to face global pandemics in four stages: stopping the spread of disease to the U.S.; limiting the spread of disease within the U.S.; minimizing painful symptoms and warding off death with effective treatments and countermeasures; and maintaining a functioning economy and community.

Obama has pledged to dedicate $10 billion annually to electronic health information systems in general, which he says will help track the spread and origins of disease. “I will invest in new vaccines and technology to detect attacks and to trace them to their origin, so that we can react in a timely fashion,” he said.

CNN's Campbell Brown Just Can Not Understand Why Everyone Is Not For Obama

2008-09-20T16:53:00.002-04:00

'Bitter' Campbell Brown Brought to Heel by Lynn Forester de Rothschild
By P.J. Gladnick (Bio | Archive)
September 19, 2008 - 05:49 ET

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It was a beautiful sight to behold. The obviously pro-Obama Campbell Brown snarling throughout an interview at the heels of former Hillary Clinton fundraiser and now McCain supporter, Lynn Forester de Rothschild, for "daring" to switch sides. After several minutes of accusing de Rothschild of everything from being an elitist to acting as a traitor to the Democrats, Campbell Brown set herself up for the grand slam dunk by Ms Rothschild using the very words of the Lightworker to turn the tables on the CNN interviewer. First we see in the transcript how Campbell Brown begins with an elitism charge against de Rothschild (emphasis mine):

CAMPBELL BROWN: Now to the political story that everybody has been buzzing about today, the prominent Hillary Clinton fundraiser and big- time Democrat who came out for John McCain. And it's not just that she is switching sides, it's what she says about Barack Obama. She calls him elitist. That word a bit surprising for someone who is married to a billionaire. So let's ask her about it.

Joining me live now, Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild. Lady de Rothschild, is it OK if I call you Lynn?

LYNN FORESTER DE ROTHSCHILD: Please call me Lynn, Campbell.

BROWN: I absolutely will. So, you have to understand how ridiculous this seems to a lot of people. You're a Rothschild. You're married to a billionaire. You were a millionaire before you married him.

You're a jetsetter. You live between New York and London. And yet, you're calling Barack Obama an elitist. Are you not a member of the elite?

DE ROTHSCHILD: Let me tell you what informs my support of John McCain. I grew up in a middle class town in New Jersey. My father worked two jobs to put four children through college, law school, and medical school. We were taught that we were blessed by God to live in the greatest country in the world. And if we worked hard we could have anything.

And the truth is, I have it. I don't have to be doing what I'm doing supporting John McCain, but I am doing it because I really believe it's John McCain and Sarah Palin who will keep this country the way that I was taught this country.

BROWN: OK. But the point --

DE ROTHSCHILD: They are the great Americans.

BROWN: But I think --

DE ROTHSCHILD: So, please, you know, the class war that Barack Obama would like to declare in this country to divide people is so wrong.

BROWN: OK, we'll stop there.

DE ROTHSCHILD: I have basic --

BROWN: Just stop there for a second. Let me ask you a question because you didn't answer my question. I assume, I guess that you came up through a middle class background. But I was accurate in describing your lifestyle, is it not?

(CROSSTALK)

DE ROTHSCHILD: Let me -- right, you did. You described my lifestyle.

BROWN: OK. But let me ask you specifically to tell me, then, what has Barack Obama said that has caused you to come to this conclusion that he is so elitist and out of touch?

DE ROTHSCHILD: OK. I wrote this piece in the "Wall Street Journal" last week if you want to look at it. What I said is that the Democratic Party has a very bad history with the likes of Adlai Stevenson and people who think they are grander than the rest of us.

Barack Obama --

BROWN: So what makes you think -- what's he said that makes you think this guy thinks he's grander than the rest of us? Specifically, be specific.

DE ROTHSCHILD: You know what? OK, a lot of it is you know it when you see it. This is a person who went to Berlin to speak to 200,000 people. This is a person who made speeches about how he is the one that the world has been waiting for. He came into this campaign talking about audacity. Where I come from, audacity is not a good thing. It's modesty and simplicity and being in politics to help people...

BROWN: OK.

DE ROTHSCHILD: ... not to advance yourself.

BROWN: But -- but --

DE ROTHSCHILD: That's why I admire John McCain. What I said in my piece --

Then Campbell Brown suggests that de Rothschild is somehow a traitor to the liberal cause:

BROWN: But let me ask you -- let me ask you about the issues here, because if you look at the major issues in this election, the war in Iraq and the economy, what everybody in all the polls says are the most important issues in this race. Hillary Clinton, the candidate you supported and you worked hard for, she could not be any more different than John McCain on these issues, but her positions are nearly identical to Barack Obama.

So it sounds like the issues aren't important to you, aren't what you're voting for. You're voting on personality, right?

DE ROTHSCHILD: Campbell, no, you are so wrong. First of all, Hillary Clinton is not in this race. So let's talk about John McCain and Barack Obama. No one --

BROWN: But the whole point of you being here, Lynn, let's be honest, is that you were one of Hillary Clinton's biggest supporters and biggest fundraisers so you making a switch is what's making news. Anybody else making a switch wouldn't make news. So I'm trying to get at what it is about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama who are identical in all of these --

(CROSSTALK)

ROTHSCHILD: OK, let me tell you -- let me tell you why I am a Democrat. I am a Democrat because I believed -- I believed in the Democratic Party's sense of fairness, sense of fair rules, and most of all, that they would be there to protect the middle class, the family I came from, the town I came from, the people I care about, the people who make America great. I believe in this -- OK.

And now, ladies and gentleman, we come to the moment you've been waiting for...the grand slam dunking of Campbell Brown. First Campbell inadvertently sets herself up by calling de Rothschild "bitter":

BROWN: All right. Lynn, let me ask you finally. I mean, I understand you're still a Democrat. You're not going to leave the party.

DE ROTHSCHILD: Right.

BROWN: To some people invariably, it's going to sound like you're bitter. Hillary Clinton didn't get the nomination, this is your way of getting even.

And now the slam dunk:

DE ROTHSCHILD: You know what, Campbell? Barack Obama went and he called the people who have guns and cling to their religion bitter. The people out, you know, who are the rednecks or whoever are bitter. If bitter is the easiest way for you to rationalize that I truly with all my heart believe that John McCain will be a great president, then call me bitter. But it doesn't really advance the dialogue, Campbell, sorry.

Ouch! And now Campbell Brown limps away into the distance:

BROWN: All right.

Well, thank you for being here, Lynn Forester de Rothschild. Appreciate your time tonight.

To truly savor the slam dunk moment, you really need to see the video of this encounter. It was reminiscent of a wayward dog being brought to heel by Barbara Woodhouse.

—P.J. Gladnick is a freelance writer and creator of the DUmmie FUnnies blog.

Wanna Go Racing??

2008-09-18T22:27:00.001-04:00
MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Police are searching for the thieves who broke into Roush Yates Engines in Mooresville on Monday night and stole three NASCAR racing engines.

The 358 cubic inch Ford engines are worth $50,000 each and weigh more than 500 pounds.

Workers at the shop told police the engines were kept on rollers.

Police say the thieves busted a hole into a wall of the shop and rolled the engines out into a stolen Penske rental van.

The van was found a few miles away from Roush Yates, but the engines are still missing.

Compromise may keep Atlantic Beach open

2008-09-18T22:27:00.000-04:00
Compromise may keep Atlantic Beach open
The Associated Press
Posted: Thursday, Sep. 18, 2008

ATLANTIC BEACH, S.C. A potential compromise to solve a financial crisis in Atlantic Beach means the town may not have to close by the end of the week.

Town Council will hold a special meeting Tuesday to consider a deal that would sell some of the town's land for $120,000 and have North Myrtle Beach take over its policing, interim Town Manager Charles Williams told The Sun News of Myrtle Beach.

The Council refused to approve a proposal to sell the land this week, which prompted Williams to say that without more money, Atlantic Beach would have to lay off the town's five police officers and two clerks until property tax collection began again at the end of the year.

But a day after the vote, Williams heard at least one council member might be willing to change her vote if North Myrtle Beach hires the five Atlantic Beach officers and agrees to police the city for at least a one-year trial.

"I'm for giving it a try," Councilwoman Charlene Taylor said. "Those things can be hashed out."

The other council member who voted against the land sale, Retha Pierce, still plans to vote no.

"Until we have a public hearing with all the stakeholders, all the people who will be affected, I will not make a decision on anything," Pierce said.

Williams was sent to Atlantic Beach by the Municipal Association of South Carolina in March after the town manager and mayor were indicted on misconduct charges and suspended from their jobs. Williams said he has settled years of unpaid bills in a town that hadn't had an audit in several years.

During the Civil Rights era, Atlantic Beach was the only beach in the area for blacks. The town has struggled financially for decades and nearly went bankrupt in 1988 after a wrongful death lawsuit.

Why Tony Kornheiser apologized last night

2008-09-17T15:43:00.001-04:00
Why Tony Kornheiser apologized last night
By MJD
During last night's game, ESPN's Tony Kornheiser uttered an apology, and no one seemed to know why. We were asked about it a few dozen times during the liveblog last night, and no one had a definitive answer. Enter the always-on-the-job Awful Announcing, who had the money quotes.

After listening to a snippet of the Spanish-language broadcast of the game in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Kornheiser said this:

"I took high school Spanish, either he said he's not going to be caught, or please pick up my dry cleaning tomorrow."

And later, this:

"I said something before which I shouldn't have said, I apologize for it. Not my first mistake, undoubtedly won't be my last, but a 100% apology."

Someone must've complained, or I doubt an apology would've ever made the airwaves. Evidently, the comments must have rubbed someone the wrong way, and that's alright. I'm not into telling people what should or shouldn't offend them.

But from what I can tell, Kornheiser didn't have any malicious intent there, nor did he intend to demean anyone. And before I say anything else, in the interest of full disclosure, I'll tell you that I didn't listen to the ESPN broadcast. I hooked up a Sirius joint at home so I could listen to the Westwood One broadcast while watching the game on TV. Tony Kornheiser is the one and only reason I did this.

But just from reading the quotes above, my best guess is that Kornheiser was making a "Look how silly I am, I don't understand Spanish!" gag. I don't think he was implying that a fellow of Hispanic descent should pick up his dry-cleaning, and I don't think he was implying that people of Hispanic descent should or do work predominately in the dry-cleaning industry.

So I don't expect any disciplinary action, and I certainly wouldn't expect Kornheiser to be fired. Although, judging from the comments we get during the liveblog, not many of you would mind if he was.

Volunteer For Ryder Cup, Don’t Forget Checkbook

2008-09-17T15:41:00.000-04:00
Apparently, the PGA of America, the outfit that hosts the Ryder Cup, isn’t clear on the definition of “volunteer.” For most of us, it means to take part in a task without being paid. It’s pretty simple, really.

Ryder Cup volunteers

Unless you’re one of the PGA brainiacs who got the bright idea to make a few extra bucks on the backs of the thousands of people who offer their time to make sure the tournament runs smoothly. No, not the golfers, but the old-timers who hold up the “Quiet Please” signs, and make sure fans don’t storm the port-a-johns while players are shaking off their Cooleys. Yep, that’s right, volunteer doesn’t mean what you think it means.

It’s no secret that the Ryder Cup brings the PGA of America tens of millions of dollars in profits. But you might be surprised to hear that the PGA further pads its bottom line by charging each of its 3,600 volunteers a $220 admission fee.

That’s nearly $800,000 in all.

The fee goes toward costs associated with the volunteers, such as uniforms, food vouchers, securing a parking lot for them off Old Henry Road and running shuttles for them to the course — but it does not cover all those costs, Tara Guenthner, a PGA of America official, told the LOUISVILLE COURIER-JOURNAL.

For 16 hours of work the volunteers also receive daily access to the event with the privileges of an upgraded ticket worth $555.

Man, those must be some sweet uniforms. The Ryder Cup isn’t the only tournament that charges people to wear silly outfits, quiet hecklers and pick up garbage, but for the 3,600 “volunteers” who’ll get a chance to be within spitting distance of Sergio Garcia, well, it’s probablly worth the menial chores and 220 clams.

I’m with GOLF.COM’s Alan Bastable: I’d rather watch for home. For free.

States ask MillerCoors to pull energy drink

2008-09-17T15:40:00.000-04:00
By EMILY FREDRIX, AP Business Writer

MILWAUKEE - Twenty-five states asked beverage maker MillerCoors LLC on Wednesday to abandon plans for a new caffeine-infused alcoholic energy drink.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said in a statement that the Sparks Red drink is a "recipe for disaster" because adding caffeine to alcoholic beverages reduces drinkers' sense of intoxication.

Blumenthal, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and the other attorneys general say young drinkers are especially vulnerable because of their limited judgment and risky behaviors in driving and other activities. They urged MillerCoors to abandon plans for the product and said they would consider other steps — hinting at a potential lawsuit — if necessary.

MillerCoors spokesman Julian Green said the company still plans to release the drink on Oct. 1. He said the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, or TTB, has approved all formulas and labeling for Sparks.

"We will continue to work with the TTB to insure that marketing, labeling and formulation continues to meet all guidelines," he said.

Attorneys general and advocacy groups have long been targeting MillerCoors, a joint venture between SABMiller's U.S. unit and Molson Coors Brewing Co., and the nation's largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., in connection with the making and marketing of such drinks. They say these drinks are targeting teenagers and young drinkers who are already drawn to highly caffeinated drinks like Red Bull.

Last week the Center for Science in the Public Interest said it sued MillerCoors to stop the brewer from selling Sparks, saying it's going after teenagers with the drink.

On Wednesday, the latest group, which also includes California, Ohio, Illinois and Vermont, sent MillerCoors Chief Executive Leo Kiely a letter asking the brewer to stop its plans for Sparks Red.

"MillerCoors' decision to introduce Sparks Red defies increasing undeniable evidence from medical and public health professionals about the dangers of mixing alcohol with stimulants found in energy drinks," the letter said.

In announcing its lawsuit last week, the CSPI cited a 2007 study that found that drinkers of caffeinated alcoholic drinks are more likely to binge drink and ride with an intoxicated driver, among other dangers.

The 25 attorneys general said the new drink will contain as much as 8 percent alcohol by volume, and noted that was higher than other alcoholic energy drinks. According to MillerCoors' Web site, current versions of Sparks have between 6 percent and 7 percent alcohol by volume. By comparison, MillerCoors' beers Miller High Life and Coors contain just under 5 percent alcohol by volume, according to the site.

The CSPI's lawsuit asks the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to stop MillerCoors from selling the drink. It said it is illegal to use caffeine, guarana, ginseng and taurine in alcoholic beverages. CSPI said the Food and Drug Administration has given "only very narrow approval" for caffeine and guarana — with no allowance for alcoholic drinks — and no approval for ginseng in any food or beverage. Taurine, which is often found in energy drinks, is a derivative of an amino acid. It wasn't immediately clear Wednesday whether Sparks Red contains those ingredients.

St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch said in June it would reformulate its brands "Tilt" and "Bud Extra" to remove the stimulants they contain as part of a settlement with 11 attorneys general.

In February the attorneys general subpoenaed documents from Anheuser-Busch related to its marketing efforts for the alcoholic energy drinks. Anheuser-Busch also agreed to pay $200,000 to the states that investigated its practices.

Anheuser-Busch strongly disputed the allegation that its marketing for the caffeinated alcoholic drinks targets those under the legal drinking age.

Time for Some Campaignin'

2008-09-16T14:50:00.001-04:00

Meredith Kercher murder

2008-09-16T14:37:00.001-04:00
I have followed with intent the murder of Meredith Kercher. Story is pretty bizarre and it illustrates how very differnent investigates are when outside the United State.

Here's the Wiki link to get you the back story

Actor Steve Martin surprises Brevard crowd

2008-09-15T01:11:00.000-04:00
Brevard – The audience at Saturday’s third annual Mountain Song Festival at the Brevard Music Center were treated to a Hollywood surprise.

“We heard there would be a big surprise at 5, but nobody knew what it was,” said Candace Rice, of Marshall, who was in the crowd. “At 5 o’clock, Steve Martin walked out with the Steep Canyon Rangers.”

Rice, a photography instructor at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, snapped pictures of the actor, known for his roles in films including “The Jerk,” “The Pink Panther” and “Roxanne.”

Rice said Martin played banjo with the bluegrass group for close to an hour.

“People were going crazy. They were absolutely going nuts. Everybody was shocked that he was there,” Rice said.

The music festival was a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Transylvania County.

Ike Spike - High Country Stations Run Dry

2008-09-13T21:53:00.000-04:00
(my story on goblueridge.net)
Even at 11:45pm Friday night motorist sit in line to get gas at one station while other pumps sit dry.

At the start of the day on Friday September 12 the biggest story of the day was Hurricane Ike. For the vast majority of the country that does not find Ike in our direct path the story of the day became GAS!

The lines for gas, and the possible shortage of it, were the top story from the midwest to the deep south and that continued into Friday night/Saturday morning.

In the High Country, at least one gas station on Highway 105 in Boone still had lines of automobiles waiting to get the precious item of the day....even at 11:45pm on Friday night. Numerous other stations had the all too familiar sight of plastic bags over the pump handles, a sight that has become more common in the last year when prices start to rise sharply. A quick drive by of stations on Blowing Rock Road and Higway 105 found more plastic bags on handles than cars waiting in line.

We invite your comments on how the situation is shaping up in the areas you drive.

Are there more stations empty than full? Did you follow the crowd and fuel up Friday or are you taking the chance that things will return to a more normal state by Monday morning?

New UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel is pulling out all the stops

2008-09-11T15:31:00.001-04:00
New UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel is pulling out all the stops.

Before the season kicked off, UCLA ran a full-page ad in an area newspaper that said, "The football monopoly in Los Angeles is officially over." Then the Bruins went out and upset Tennessee in Week 1.

Rick Neuheisel made a lasting impression with his recruiting efforts following the big win against Tennessee.
Last Friday, Neuheisel found a creative way to get out in front of as many L.A.-area recruits as possible in one night.

After watching the nation's No. 1 guard, Michael Philipp, play for San Bernardino Arroyo Valley at home against Pasadena High, Neuheisel fought through Los Angeles' traffic to make it to the Inglewood High-Long Beach Wilson game. Neuheisel was there to check out four-star receivers Shaquelle Evans and Jemari Roberts.

He wasn't done.

After watching Evans and Roberts, Neuheisel drove to the Hawthorne Airport and got in a helicopter to fly out to the Inland Empire to watch La Puente Bishop Amat on the road against Rancho Cucamonga Los Osos. That game featured Bruin commits Richard Brehaut from Los Osos and cornerback Sheldon Price from Bishop Amat.

Neuheisel wasn't able to land at the school as expected, and was forced to land at Ontario Airport. By the time he got to the game, it was over. Nevertheless, a big impression had been made.

"It was awesome that Coach Neuheisel would have that much dedication to his recruits that he would come to our games in a helicopter," Brehaut said. "He was never able to land even though he had permission from the school, but the sheriff didn't allow him to land on our baseball field.

"Still, it was very cool."

UCLA assistants also were on the road. The Bruins sent two assistants to Utah to watch John Martinez and Xavier Su'a Filo play. Another assistant went to Oregon to watch Charles Siddoway, and others were in Los Angeles watching Brandon Sermons' game in Pomona.

`The Twist' is top song of Billboard Hot 100 era

2008-09-11T15:29:00.000-04:00
How's this for a twist: Of all the No. 1 songs in the 50 years of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Chubby Checker's "The Twist" ranks as the most popular single.

Elvis and the Beatles didn't even make the top five.

Checker's ranking may come as a surprise to some, but not to the classic rocker.

"I'm glad they've finally recognized it," said Checker of his early 1960s hit.

He compared "The Twist" — named by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum as one of the 500 songs that shaped rock 'n' roll — to the creation of the telephone as a groundbreaking moment because he said it was the first time people were dancing "apart to the beat."

"Anyplace on the planet, when someone has a song that has a beat, they're on the floor dancing apart to the beat, and before Chubby Checker, it wasn't here, and I think that has a lot to do with me being on the charts," he said.

Santana's "Smooth," featuring Rob Thomas, is the No. 2 most popular, followed by Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife," Leann Rimes' "How Do I Live" and "The Macarena" by Los Del Rio.

The Beatles did make the top 10, coming it at No. 8 with "Hey Jude." But Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" and Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life" are ahead of that hit. Rounding out the top 10: Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" at No. 9 and Toni Braxton's "Un-break My Heart" at No. 10.

Geoff Mayfield, director of charts at Billboard magazine, acknowledged that the list might not jibe with some fans' personal thoughts of the most popular songs of the past 50 years.

"This is simply a chronicle of how each of these songs performed in their era on the Hot 100. We're not saying these are the most memorable songs of your life. That would be something that's almost impossible to determine," said Mayfield. "Everyone has a subjective frame of reference."

The Beatles do top Billboard's all-time Hot 100 artists, followed by Madonna, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and the Rolling Stones. Billboard.com is breaking out some of the other chart achievements (the list of most No. 1 singles by an act is topped by the Beatles) on its Web site.

The Billboard Hot 100 chart measures airplay and sales information (and more recently digital downloads) in determining the nation's most popular songs. To determine the most popular song of the Hot 100 era, Billboard used a formula to determine the top song — not always relying on weeks at No. 1 since the data was reported differently in its early days.

Initially, Billboard relied on stations to report the most popular songs, and got sales surveys from record stores. But Mayfield said stations often stopped reporting on a song's popularity if it was no longer a priority for record labels. And in 1991, Billboard began relying on sales data from Nielsen SoundScan and airplay data from Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. So Billboard weighted certain songs from different eras to make sure all songs were on an even playing field.

"We went through each era, and we looked through the rate of turnover. The rate of turnover was very high in the late '50s and early '60s, and we had to put a weight on that to make the chart runs of that era equal to the chart runs that can be accomplished since 1991," he said.

Checker's "The Twist" spent a total of only three weeks at the top of the charts, but did so twice in two separate runs more than a year apart.

"It's the only song that was ever No. 1 in two different chart runs," he said.

Checker said he was gratified that Billboard noted the popularity of "The Twist," and lamented that both the song and his career have been at times overlooked.

"My music is less played that any performer that has been a No. 1 chart man on the planet," said Checker, who also had hits with "Pony Time," "The Fly" and "Let's Twist Again," which earned him a Grammy. "I don't get the respect that Rod Stewart gets, or the Rolling Stones, or Frankie Valli. ... But I have to deal with it."

___

On the Net:

http://www.billboard.com

http://www.chubbychecker.com

Blue-collar America is smarter than you may think

2008-09-11T13:05:00.000-04:00
Blue-collar America is smarter than you may think

Opinion
Christian Science Monitor
By Mike Rose Mike Rose – Thu Sep 11, 4:00 am ET

Los Angeles – "They treat us like mules," the guy installing my washer tells me, his eyes narrowing as he wipes his hands. I had just complimented him and his partner on the speed and assurance of their work. He explains that it's rare that customers speak to him this way.

I know what he's talking about. My mother was a waitress all her life, in coffee shops and fast-paced chain restaurants. It was hard work, but she liked it, liked "being among the public," as she would say. But that work had its sting, too – the customer who would treat her like a servant or, her biggest complaint, like she was not that bright.

There's a lesson here for this political season: the subtle and not-so-subtle insults that blue-collar and service workers endure as part of their working lives. And those insults often have to do with intelligence.

We like to think of the United States as a classless society. The belief in economic mobility is central to the American Dream, and we pride ourselves on our spirit of egalitarianism. But we also have a troubling streak of aristocratic bias in our national temperament, and one way it manifests itself is in the assumptions we make about people who work with their hands.

Working people sense this bias and react to it when they vote. The common political wisdom is that hot-button social issues have driven blue-collar voters rightward. But there are other cultural dynamics at play as well. And Democrats can be as oblivious to these dynamics as Republicans – though the Grand Old Party did appeal to them in St. Paul.

Let's go back to those two men installing my washer and dryer. They do a lot of heavy lifting quickly – mine was the first of 15 deliveries – and efficiently, to avoid injury. Between them there is ongoing communication, verbal and nonverbal, to coordinate the lift, negotiate the tight fit, move in rhythm with each other. And all the while, they are weighing options, making decisions and solving problems – as when my new dryer didn't match up with the gas outlet.

Think about what a good waitress has to do in the busy restaurant: remember orders and monitor them, attend to a dynamic, quickly changing environment, prioritize tasks and manage the flow of work, make decisions on the fly.

There's the carpenter using a number of mathematical concepts – symmetry, proportion, congruence, the properties of angles – and visualizing these concepts while building a cabinet, a flight of stairs, or a pitched roof.

The hairstylist's practice is a mix of technique, knowledge about the biology of hair, aesthetic judgment, and communication skill. The mechanic, electrician, and plumber are troubleshooters and problem solvers. Even the routinized factory floor calls for working smarts.

When has any of this made its way into our political speeches? From either party. Even on Labor Day.

Last week, the GOP masterfully invoked some old cultural suspicions: country folk versus city and east-coast versus heartland education. But these are symbolic populist gestures, not the stuff of true engagement.

Judgments about intelligence carry great weight in our society, and we have a tendency to make sweeping assessments of people's intelligence based on the kind of work they do.

Political tributes to labor over the next two months will render the muscled arm, sleeve rolled tight against biceps. But few will also celebrate the thought bright behind the eye, or offer an image that links hand and brain.

It would be fitting in a country with an egalitarian vision of itself to have a truer, richer sense of all that is involved in the wide range of work that surrounds and sustains us.

Those politicians who can communicate that sense will tap a deep reserve of neglected feeling. And those who can honor and use work in explaining and personalizing their policies will find a welcome reception.

• Mike Rose is a professor of education at UCLA and author of "The Mind at Work: Valuing the Intelligence of the American Worker."