Equine Therapy: Organization Suffers Fire Killing 6 Horses; Help Needed

I was saddened to hear this story on the news this morning ...

Barn fire at therapy center leaves 6 horses dead

PLEASANT HILL, Missouri - A barn fire at a horse boarding stable left 6 horses dead early Sunday morning. Three other horses were able to escape the barn.

The fire broke out at the Sugar Creek Equinapy Center at the Pine Dell Farm in Pleasant Hill, Mo. around 6 a.m.

"By the time we got here the fire trucks were all over the place," said instructor Amy O'Neal.

Sugar Creek Equinapy Center helps autistic and disabled people aged 4 to 25 through equitherapy.

Equitherapy is treatment that involves using horses to improve people's balance, coordination and motor skills. Organizers were gearing up to start spring therapy sessions.

"Instead of physical therapy and riding were probably going to do a lot of emotional therapy and counseling in that regard and try to go from there," said O’Neal.

Not all horses at the facility were killed in the blaze.

No people were hurt in the fire. Several children with autism will go without their much needed therapy. Jim Lysaght's 6 year old daughter went to horse therapy twice a week.

"I don't think it's totally set in in my daughters eyes, but were not going to concentrate too much on the past we'll truck forward," said Lysaght.

The cause of the fire is unknown and there isn't a damage estimate available yet. The Missouri Fire Marshall is investigating the fire.

For information on how to help out, go to sugarcreekequinapy.org .

I called them today to see if they were in need of donations, and the lady with whom I spoke said yes.  Here is their contact information:

Sugar Creek Equinapy
19909 E. 175th Street
Pleasant Hill, MO  64080
1+816-824-4968

I noticed their website has PayPal set up.  Sugar Creek is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization.

According to another news story, Sugar Creek suffered a similar devastating loss in March of 2005 -- another barn fire in which 10 horses were lost.  Electrical problems were suspected in that '05 fire.

Morning Joe: A Panel of Snarky Prom Queen Runner-Ups

I am an unapologetic FoxNews Fan!!!  Yes, I know you Libs out there will think "Oh, they're biiiiiiaaasssedd!"  But, whenever someone says that to me, I always ask them if they actually WATCH FoxNews.  Their response is invariably "no."  That tells me they have bought into all the hype and brainwashing of the MSM.  I, too, used to buy into it years ago.  Finally, I decided to watch it for myself and see what all the hullaballoo was about.  I became hooked.

Since starting up my new morning exercise regime at the start of the New Year, and I proudly report that I'm still on track,  I've been using the time on the elliptical trainer to switch back and forth between MSNBC's Morning Joe and Fox & Friends.  Since my Lib colleagues ooh and aah about Mr. Joe Sanctimonious, I thought I would give the show a try.  Gotta keep an open mind, right?

I started the Monday following the horrible Tucson shootings.  It was very interesting to see how both programs reported on the events.  Now, since I alternate workouts (one day elliptical, one day weights, meaning I'm not watching TV everyday), how the reporting evolved over 3 days was interesting.  Over these past few weeks of flipping between the two morning shows several days a week, I've come to see what Morning Joe's basic shtik is:

• Uncle Joe, wearing his zipper fleece jackets, sits in front of ye old ski lodge fireplace and pontificates ad nauseum about whatever .... for way too long.  In fact, this morning he was still bitching about the same things from Friday morning regarding the Republican spending cuts.

• Mika sits and rolls her eyes, scrunches up her nose in a perpetual pissed-off look (my dad would say she looks like she was weaned on lemons), and makes an occasional snippy exhale as "the boys" go off on some tangent while she awkwardly gropes for a way to get the ship back on course.  She's the hormone-deficient mom of teenage rowdy boys getting no moral support from their do-nothing blowhard of a father Joe .... perhaps a 21st century version of The Cleavers.  She occasionally gives a non-biased shout out to some politician: "LOVE him!"

• The other panelists are usually stuck in the "Joe/Mika" vortex of pablum and snark, often left blinking unbelievingly, as if saying to themselves "Why, exactly, am I doing this?  Where's a knitting needle so I can jab it in my eye?  I need to call my agent ... Help me."

I love how Mika got her clocked cleaned this morning by Harvard professor Niall Ferguson after she naively stated about Egypt that "it actually seems like it went pretty damn well."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Mika: word to the wise.  If you're gonna be a bad ass and assess political situations with something like "it went pretty damn well", you better have your ducks in a row .... especially when you've been spending your time rolling your eyes "Gaaaawd!" throughout the show.  People beating and killing one another is not "pretty damn well."

Cockfighting, Headless Ghosts, and Apps for That!

So much insanity in the news right now, let alone in our personal private lives!  Here are some "entertaining" article I found recently. 

from the AP ...

Armed Bird at Cockfight Kills Man in Calif.

DELANO, Calif. -- A Central California man who was at a cockfight died after being stabbed in the leg by a bird that had a knife attached to its own limb, officials confirmed Monday.

Jose Luis Ochoa, 35, of Lamont, was declared dead at a hospital about two hours after he was injured in neighboring Tulare County on Jan. 30, the Kern County coroner said.

An autopsy concluded Ochoa died of an accidental "sharp force injury" to his right calf.

Sheriff's spokesman Ray Pruitt said it was unclear if a delay in seeking medical attention contributed to Ochoa's death.

"I have never seen this type of incident," Sgt. Martin King, a 24-year veteran of the sheriff's department, told the Bakersfield Californian.

Ochoa and the other spectators fled when authorities arrived at the scene of the fight, King told the newspaper. Deputies found five dead roosters and other evidence of cockfighting at the location, he said.

No arrests were made at the cockfight.

Cockfighting is a sport, illegal in the United States, in which specially bred roosters are put into a ring and encouraged to fight until one is incapacitated or killed.

According to Kern County Superior Court records, Ochoa paid $370 in fines last year after pleading no contest to one count of owning or training an animal for fighting, according to the newspaper.

Attending or organizing a cockfight, or training an animal to participate in one, are all misdemeanors under California law, although a second offense is a felony.

And here's a creepy story from the UK ...

A real white knuckle ride: 'Headless monk' seen by workmen forces Thorpe Park to relocate water slide

• Storm Surge ride was planned for footpath linking ruins of Chertsey Abbey to Thorpe Church since AD666

A headless monk, a sudden chill, objects moving of own accord.

A new ride at an amusement park? No, the strange, seemingly paranormal, behaviour was experienced by workmen building a water ride at Thorpe Park, one of the country's biggest theme parks.

There were reports of workers feeling like someone was watching over their shoulder and sudden cold feelings being experienced.

As a result of the ghostly sightings, and fears that an ancient burial ground has been disturbed, the project was moved to another site. 

A figure (circled) appears in a photo of one of the investigation team (right). 'Is this just mist, or someone passing by? You decide' is the question posed by the group which investigated the claims of a headless monk wandering around the theme park

A paranormal detection agency was then called in to the park in Chertsey, Surrey, to carry out tests and found that a burial ground or settlement could have been disturbed.

Managers at the park decided to relocate the ride to another area of the park and also called in a forensic team to carry out further investigations.

The 64ft-tall water ride, Storm Surge, was originally planned for an area known as Monk's Walk, an old footpath that has linked the ruins of nearby Chertsey Abbey to Thorpe Church since AD 666.

'The results were so strong, we felt the only explanation could be that an ancient burial ground or settlement was being disturbed, prompting the extra paranormal activity'

Mike Vallis, divisional director of Thorpe Park, said: 'It became apparent that something strange was going on when teams started clearing Storm Surge's initial site.

'Staff reports of eerie goings-on shot up and the only physical change in the park, at that time, was the beginning of ground preparation work for the new ride.

'As employees were getting freaked out, we decided to call on an expert to see whether there was anything to report but had no idea of the dramatic effects.'

Jim Arnold, of South West London Paranormal, said: 'We carry out these kinds of investigations quite regularly, with medium to weak results being reported on a weekly basis.

'Thorpe Park, however, was more striking as results were picked up immediately, with orbs, ghostly images in photography and ouija reaction results being strongest around the site where they were proposing to build Storm Surge.

'The results were so strong, we felt the only explanation could be that an ancient burial ground or settlement was being disturbed, prompting the extra paranormal activity.'

Forensic geophysicist Peter Masters, of Cranfield University, has since been called in to analyse the site, using deep ground radar.

He said: 'From the preliminary investigations, we have picked up signatures similar to that of a burial ground - possibly ancient.

'Although this could simply be an old building, with Thorpe Park's history, the investigation is definitely worth continuing.'

 I love my iPhone, iPod and iPad, but this app is rather ridiculous ... from Reuters ...

Church Approves 'Confession' App for iPhone

An iPhone app aimed at helping Catholics through confession and encouraging lapsed followers back to the faith has been sanctioned by the Catholic Church in the United States.

"Confession: A Roman Catholic app" is thought to be the first to be approved by a church authority. It walks Catholics through the sacrament and contains what the company behind the program describes as a "personalized examination of conscience for each user."

"Our desire is to invite Catholics to engage in their faith through digital technology," said Patrick Leinen of the three-man company Little iApps, based in South Bend, Indiana.

"Taking to heart Pope Benedict XVI's message from last years' World Communications Address, our goal with this project is to offer a digital application that is truly 'new media at the service of the word."

Pope Benedict XVI's World Communications Address on January 24 emphasized the importance of a Christian presence in the digital world.

The firm said the content of the app was developed with the help of Reverend Thomas Weinandy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Reverend Dan Scheidt, pastor of Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Mishawaka, Indiana.

The app is not designed to replace going to confession but to help Catholics through the act, which generally involves admitting sins to a priest in a confessional booth. Catholics still must go to a priest for absolution.

Little iApps said Bishop Kevin Rhoades, of the Diocese of Fort Wayne in Indiana, officially authorized the app for Catholics to use.

"It has been approved by Bishop Kevin Rhoades," said Weinandy.

Leinen said the app has already aided one man in returning to the sacrament after 20 years.

"We hope many more will take advantage of this new confession resource," he added.

The app retails for $1.99.

"The Daily" News App for iPad Launched by News Corp and Apple

Some good news for you iPad fans!  And, it's from the evil news corporation that I love!  Hee, hee!

News Corp., Apple Join to Launch iPad-Exclusive News App 'The Daily'

"The Daily," the first news application written and designed specifically for the iPad, launched Wednesday morning -- and may turn decades of traditional publishing on its ear.

Written for and available solely on the Apple iPad, the revolutionary service was unveiled by News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch and Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of Internet services, at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City at 11:00 a.m. It went live in the Apple App Store at noon, and features a variety of new technologies that were previously unthinkable, Murdoch said at the unveiling.

"360 degree photos, graphics that respond to the touch, and other innovations that are unthinkable in print and television," Murdoch said. "Simply put, the iPad demands that we completely reinterpret our craft."

"We're entering a remarkable age, a digital renaissance," he said. Many people who had seen The Daily in advance were mainly in awe.

"It’s got an amazing look and feel,” Mike Vorhaus, the president of media consulting firm Magid Advisors, told The New York Times, comparing it to a “glossy magazine.”

Peter Kafka, media watcher for All Things Digital, said early viewers compared it to the Daily Prophet, the magical newspaper read by Harry Potter and his wizard pals.

Others describe it in less glowing terms, saying it was similar to existing iPad magazine apps such as Hearst’s Popular Mechanics app and Conde Nast’s Wired app. But those apps feature content that comes out monthly, not daily, and largely repurpose information from a magazine into a different format.

And that's what makes The Daily such a game-changer for news: The concept of a recurring news service tailored for the iPad's millions of users (and automatically charged to a subscriber's credit card through the iTunes service) is something the entire publishing industry will be watching while holding its collective breath.

To facilitate such a service and delivery, The Daily brings with it a key new feature, a push subscription function. The Daily was set to debut in mid-January, but News Corp. reportedly delayed the launch to work out kinks in the subscription service -- probably due to this new functionality.

Magazine and newspaper publishers hope tablets like the iPad and Samsung's popular Galaxy Tab will spark consumer interest and revive a business widely acknowledged to be suffering from declining circulation figures and advertising revenue.
...
The service will power The Daily's free website, www.thedaily.com, which will have a sample of perhaps 10 percent of the newspaper’s stories, Kafka reported.

The tech world waited eagerly in the days and hours leading up to the launch.

"A lot of people have iPads, so they'll be looking forward to it, they want to read The Daily," said Lance Ulanoff, editor in chief of PCMag.com. The Daily is available for the iPad and will be offered on additional tablets and in international markets over the coming months, the company said.

Kafka also noted the similarities between The Daily and the traditional models for newspapers: "It's most definitely produced using a newspaper model," he wrote. "Six sections, written once a day -- the Daily team is particularly excited about its sports coverage -- and delivered in the wee hours of the morning."

"The Daily will allow for some midday updates, but it’s really designed to land with a digital thud on your virtual doorstep, just like the newspapers Murdoch has loved all his life," Kafka wrote.

I've just now downloaded the free app "The Daily" and will take it for the free two-week spin.  Thereafter, the subscription costs 99 cents per week or $39.99 per year.

FYI: The Washington Post back in November launched its app for iPad also with a free introductory offer through February 15th.  I've been enjoying it and will soon need to decide if I want to pay for it.  It, too, has a reasonable price of $3.99 per month (only 99 cents per month if you're already a subscriber to the print edition).   It will be interesting to see how the two services compare.

Reagan and Obama?!? You've Got To Be Out of Your Flippin' Mind!!

For several months, I've noticed and chuckled at how Liberals have lately been invoking the name of Reagan with the devotion and reverence befitting a saint.  I guess with his 100th anniversary, even they have to acknowledge that Reagan kicked ass when asses needed to be kicked.  He didn't talk about it.  He did it. 

Libs now quote him along with Gandi, Lincoln and Mother Teresa.  I was a teen and early adult when Reagan was president, and I clearly remember him being vilified by the Left.  "Tottering old fool."  "Hollywood actor."  "Alzheimer Grandpa."  I want to barf now the way Libs lift up his name with a loving devotion reserved normally for only the truly great. 

Even more "HIGH-larious" is the notion that Time plans to include Obama and Reagan together on their upcoming cover -- well, that's just snort-milk-out-your-nose funny! 

Here's David Bossie's take of it over at BigGovernment.com (emphasis added):

President Obama, You’re No Ronald Reagan 

Soon-to-be White House Press Secretary Jay Carney’s former employer Time Magazine has given President Obama a big thank you gift this week. Not only is President Obama on the cover of Time Magazine for the 24th time in little more than four years, but the editors are trying to portray Obama as the next Ronald Reagan. President Obama and President Reagan are polar opposites in both politics and style. For a struggling magazine, I guess putting Reagan on the cover is the only way to sell some copies. Time Magazine and the left will stop at nothing to prop up President Obama’s sagging presidency. Just over two years ago, Time portrayed President Obama as the next FDR on the cover of the magazine, but after the failure of Obama’s big government agenda, Time is jumping to have Obama reflect the country’s more conservative mood. These ploys are pathetic and desperate.

President Reagan served his country with a grace and style that cannot be matched, especially by the current occupant of the White House. He stood up to the Soviet Union by calling them the “evil empire” and courageously implored General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.” President Obama used his most recent State of the Union address to tell us how great communist China is and how Americans are lagging behind the Chinese in innovation. President Obama does not believe in American Exceptionalism. If he did, he would not have said “…America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.” President Reagan believed America was a “shining city on the hill” and that it was always morning in America.

Citizens United has produced a short video showing that there is no comparison between Presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Both men may share the same title, but they view America and the world quite differently. The difference is pretty stark when you hear Reagan and Obama speaking about America. Can you imagine a circumstance in which President Reagan would criticize America in a speech overseas?


As Americans celebrate the centennial anniversary of President Reagan’s birth, please share this important video that tells the truth about Reagan and Obama with your family and friends. Time Magazine has gotten it wrong once again. President Reagan’s legacy will only continue to grow more prestigiously, while President Obama’s will continue to go downhill.

Makes you wonder if Time will meet the same fate as Newsweek when it sold for one dollar this past summer.

DNC 2012 Convention: St. Louis Loses Bid to Charlotte ... A Benedict Arnold Involved?

Besides the snow storm being the big news yesterday, the other big story was St. Louis losing its bid to host the 2012 DNC convention.  Back in July I posted about St. Louis being a contender -- being "bellweather territory."  Now, with the decision being made for Charlotte, the skuttlebutt is that Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill might have fought against having the convention in Missouri to bolster her chances for re-election.  From The Roll Call:

Democrats’ Convention Choice Showcases Tension

... The decision to highlight the South in the president’s nominating convention could signal a broader strategy for his re-election campaign, said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who said she was “bitterly disappointed” that St. Louis was passed over.

“I think the president and the president’s campaign team have always tried to do things a little differently,” she said. “There has never been a Democratic candidate for president who put a team on the ground in Utah and Idaho, and he did that. So I think to try to go counterintuitive and go into the South for the nominating convention, I understand why that was attractive to the president’s political team.”

In 2008, Obama won North Carolina, a state that had backed GOP nominees in every presidential election since 1976.

But in choosing Charlotte, the Democrats declined to make a visible stand in Missouri, a swing state that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) won in 2008 by fewer than 4,000 votes.

Holding the convention in St. Louis would have given the Show-Me State an economic and political boost in a year when McCaskill faces re-election for the first time. She is considered one of the most vulnerable first-term Democratic Senators; Roll Call Politics rates her race a Tossup.

McCaskill stressed that a strong showing in the Midwest would be a key factor in Obama’s re-election. “He’s got to have the Midwest, and I don’t think anybody should interpret this as giving up on the Midwest,” she said. “I don’t think that’s the case. ... They’ve decided that the symbolism of going into the South is important. ... I think you’ll see the campaign all over the Midwest.”

But the New York Times reported that McCaskill privately was asking for the convention to be held elsewhere because it could complicate her re-election bid. Her office did not rebut the claim when reporters asked and instead repeated that she was disappointed.
 ...

McCaskill, an early supporter of Obama’s 2008 presidential run, said she was “very proud” of the St. Louis effort.

“I got worried a few weeks ago when all of a sudden they quit returning my phone calls,” McCaskill said, referring to the DNC. “I think I drove them crazy.”

Yeah, sure, Claire.

Poor Charlotte.  I see one "people's struggle" website was already planning anti-war protests back in July.  Oh, let the fun begin!

Chipotle Under Fire from SEIU: Union Attacks Law-Abiding Company

It seems the SEIU, alias "Purple People Beaters", is going after Chipotle for obeying immigration laws.  Here's the story from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune (emphasis added):

Chipotle fires hundreds, draws protests

Chain dismissed workers at its 50 Minnesota restaurants after an immigration audit.

By STEVE ALEXANDER, Star Tribune 

Chipotle Mexican Grill said on Thursday that it had fired a substantial number of the 1,200 employees at its 50 Minnesota restaurants after a federal immigration audit found some were illegal workers.

The circumstances of the firings, which began in early December, sparked a protest by several dozen people around noon on Thursday at a downtown Minneapolis Chipotle restaurant. Minneapolis police arrested eight participants after they chained themselves together inside the restaurant. They were cited for trespassing.

Denver-based Chipotle would not disclose how many Minnesota workers were fired. Protesters said the number was 700. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office, which conducted the Chipotle worker audit, declined to comment. However, a source said the number of Minnesota employees fired was closer to 350. Chipotle has apparently replaced the terminated employees. Its Minnesota employment was 1,200 both before and after the firings, said spokesman Chris Arnold.

The protesters didn't claim that all the fired employees were legal U.S. workers, but they did assert that the workers were fired without much explanation and without being given time to provide documents proving they were legal U.S. workers. They also claimed that fired workers had to endure delays in being paid. The claims, if true, would appear to be violations of Minnesota's labor laws.

Chipotle responded that accused workers were given one-on-one opportunities to provide documents that could prove they were legally able to work in the United States. If they couldn't, they were fired in accordance with U.S. law, Arnold said, adding that pay and accumulated vacation time were paid promptly.

The investigation of Chipotle began several months ago, Arnold said, when ICE asked to see work eligibility documents. The company was not told why it was singled out for review. ICE then provided Chipotle with a list of employees whose documents might be invalid, he said.

Chipotle tries to screen new employees, but some provide false documents showing they are eligible workers, Arnold said. In cases where employees insist they have the proper documents, Chipotle has sought to give them extra time to produce the identification, he said.

"We have asked ICE whether they would allow a 90-day period to resolve discrepancies, and they have told us that they absolutely would not," Arnold said.

One of the protest organizers, Greg Nammacher, secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 26 in St. Paul, said the purpose of the demonstration was "to send a message to corporations that they can't sell Mexican culture and Mexican food and sell out Mexican workers." None of the Chipotle workers are represented by his union.  [Comment: Could this be SEIU's attempt to unionize Chipotle?  Hmmm ...]


Although Nammacher said it was one of the largest immigration-related dismissals in his experience, about 1,250 janitors in the Twin Cities lost their jobs in November 2009 after federal officials challenged their immigration status.

A meeting was held two weeks ago between Chipotle and SEIU and others representing fired workers. Both sides said no agreement was reached.

Nammacher said that while Chipotle is not allowed to employ illegal workers, the workers deserved more humane treatment than they received.  [Comment: But, this seems to be an "employment-at-will" situation -- i.e. no real job security in which an individual can be fired with no notice or reason.]

"Companies all over this country are using immigrant labor, and then, when the government shines a light on those employees, the companies wash their hands of them," Nammacher said. He added that he was not accusing Chipotle or other companies of deliberately employing illegal workers.

Some of the employees participating in Thursday's protest said they'd had a long tenure with Chipotle.  Maria Cortez of Minneapolis said she has lived in Minnesota 14 years and spent the past six working at a Chipotle restaurant near Lake Calhoun. One day in early December, she and 12 other workers were fired as part of the first wave of terminations. Cortez was told she lacked the legal status to work there, but was not given a chance to show her Minnesota driver's license. (Federal rules say a driver's license alone is not sufficient proof of legal status.)

Juan Peres of Minneapolis said he was fired after working for five years at the Lake Calhoun restaurant. But he declined to say whether he was a legal worker, citing an ongoing investigation of him.

Here we have a company being investigated by ICE with regard to the immigration status of its workers.  If the workers cannot supply documentation, then Chipotle really has no choice but to fire them.  Case closed.  This is a company following the law ... and SEIU trying to make Chipotle out to be the bad guy, most likely in a backdoor attempt to get more union members.

Chipotle for dinner anyone?  Sounds yummy!

Egypt: The Violence Escalates

Two startling videos today.  First, this one showing men on horseback and "camelback" riding in and beating protesters:



Description: "A group of pro-government supporters riding horses and camels has charged anti-Mubarak protesters. it comes as hundreds of pro-government supporters and protesters demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak clashed in Cairo's main square on Wednesday. Mubarak supporters break through a human chain of anti-government protesters trying to defend those gathered in Tahrir Square. They tore down banners denouncing the president and fistfights broke out as they advanced across the massive square in the heart of the capital."

Then, this breaking today: CNN reporter Cooper Anderson and his film crew were beaten by pro-Mubarak protesters:



From The National Ledger:

Anderson Cooper Punched: Cairo Mob Attacks CNN Crew (Video)

Anderson Cooper (pictured) was punched multiple times in Cairo during an attack on his CNN crew.

Anderson Cooper Punched: Cairo Mob Attacks CNN Crew.

CNN reporter Anderson Cooper is in Cairo covering the situation in Egypt and the newscaster and his crew got a close up look at the situation on the ground with fists flying at him and his crew.

Cooper "was punched 10 times in the head as pro-Mubarak mob surrounded him and his crew trying to cover demonstration," CNN's Steve Brusk tweeted.

***

The 43-year-old said his team was trying to find a neutral zone between pro- and anti-government groups.

Once safe - Cooper used the social network website to let viewers know he was okay and had sought a safer position to make his on the scene reports.

Cooper later tweeted, "Got roughed up by thugs in pro-Mubarak crowd..punched and kicked repeatedly. Had to escape. Safe now.

Jim Hoft, The GatewayPundit, supplies more info regarding the violence:

Egyptians Terrified As Thugs, Criminals & Terrorists Roam the Streets Freely

Posted by Jim Hoft on Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 4:46 AM

This past weekend mass jail breaks by militants sparked fears across Egypt.

Looters outside Abu Zaabel prison in Cairo after a mass breakout by convicts. (AFP)

Top Hamas militants escaped from Egyptian prisons this past weekend along with several members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Of course, the media won’t tell you about the criminal gangs roaming the streets.It doesn’t fit their narrative. Sam Tadros sent a detailed account of the real situation on the streets of Cairo to Clarice Feldman at American Thinker. It is an excellent read of the situation on the street. For some reason Aljazeera is not reporting this?

…Saturday was indescribable. Nothing that I write can describe the utter state of lawlessness that prevailed. Every Egyptian prison was attacked by organized groups trying to free the prisoners inside. In the case of the prisons holding regular criminals this was done by their families and friends. In the case of the prisons with the political prisoners this was done by the Islamists. Bulldozers were used in those attacks and the weapons available from the looting of police stations were available. Nearly all the prisons fell. The prison forces simply could not deal with such an onslaught and no reinforcements were available. Nearly every terrorist held in the Egyptian prisons from those that bombed the Alexandria Church less than a month ago to the Murderer of Anwar El Sadat was freed, the later reportedly being arrested again tonight…

…Today the Egyptians are scared. They have been given a glimpse of hell and they don’t like what they see. Contrary to Al Jazeera’s propaganda, the Egyptian masses are not demonstrating anymore. They are protecting their homes and families. The demonstration last night had 5,000 political activists participating and not 150,000 as Al Jazeera insists. At this moment, no one outside of those political activists cares less now if the President will resign or not. They have more important concerns now; security and food…

…Security wise the situation is a disaster. It might take months to arrest all those criminals again. Moreover no one has a clue how the weapons that were stolen will ever be collected again or how the security will ever regain its necessary respect to restore public order after it was defeated in 4 hours. More importantly, reports indicate that the borders in Gaza were open for the past few days. What exactly was transferred between Gaza and Egypt is anyone’s guess.

You seem to wonder after all of this where El Baradei and the Egyptian opposition are. CNN’s anointed leader of the Egyptian Revolution must be important to the future of Egypt. Hardly! Outside of Western media hype, El Baradei is nothing. A man that has spent less than 30 days in the past year in Egypt and hardly any time in the past 20 years is a nobody. It is entirely insulting to Egyptians to suggest otherwise. The opposition you wonder? Outside of the Muslim Brotherhood we are discussing groups that can each claim less than 5,000 actual members. With no organization, no ideas, and no leaders they are entirely irrelevant to the discussion. It is the apolitical young generation that has suddenly been transformed that is the real question here.

Where Egypt will go from here is an enigma.

What a nightmare.
Read the whole thing.

Snow Storm: Pondering Away in My Little Snow Hut

Well, it's a second day of no school.  In fact, we've missed quite a bit of school this year due to snow ... more so than in many years.  We're to the point of facing several make up days.  But, I count myself quite fortunate in that I am able to stay home and not risk an accident ... and I still get paid.  I am well aware that there are many folks that either miss a day's wage if they can't make it into work or who have to pay the expense of child care as they go off to work but their children stay home.

Stormageddon ... Snowpocalypse ... "100 million people in path of 2,000 mile storm" ... sounds like a harem-scarem movie ... surely the consequence of global warming ... er, I mean "climate change."  Must be Bush's fault.  I'm sure Dear Leader will rescue us.  I can envision now his emotion-charged speech inspiring us to rise above the situation ...  and then to get back on our squirrel wheels and run harder, faster and farther, because only work will save us.

Fortunately for our area, the storm did not turn out as bad as the weather forecasters were forecasting.  I was most fearful of a repeat ice storm as in 2007, but so far the power has stayed on.  But, the weather is bad enough that, not only schools but, major industries and companies are closed.  Even the local air force base is closed for a second day.  Two local grocery store chains closed last night.  Sadly, the local pizza and Chinese food deliverers have been kept busy.  (Yeah, pizza sounds good right now, but if I don't want to risk going outside, why would I want someone else to risk it?)

Crazy Dog in her element!

Crazy Dog is diggin' the white stuff!   But, she's made for this kind of weather -- cold, snow and ice are in her Chessie genetic material!  She runs around kicking up the snow, then plops down in it with a wild snort.

I'm feeling a tad guilty for not working out yesterday at my local Y, which closed early in the end.  So, I promptly turned yesterday into what I'm sure everyone else did: an Eating Fest!  Rosemary and Olive Oil Triscuits, cream of asparagus soup, wine, chili and chips, more wine, a Weight Watchers dessert (ha!), more wine.  So, today it's back on the wagon.  I won't risk going to the Y due to ice and snow (and possibly missing my neighbor's son coming over to shovel), plus the wind chill is dangerously low.  But, today I will pop in an exercise DVD and get back on track with proper eating.  (I'm down 7 pounds and five inches ... can't let yesterday turn into a snowball ... a snow avalanche ... of out-of-control eating.)

I did some school work yesterday and then snooped around the Internet catching up on my favorite bloggers.  I came across this fascinating picture of the Mississippi River at St. Louis freezing solid in February 1905.  Note the line of people in the background beneath the bridge spanning between both shores!  It was referred to as The Ice Gorge!  WOW!!!!  Now THAT's some serious cold there!

WTF?!?

And, of course, there was this morning's announcement about Punxsutawney Phil not seeing his shadow.  If you, too, are snowed in and looking for something to while away the time, MSNBC has a story on the origins of Groundhog Day and other common superstitions.  (By the way, it reports that Phil has been right only about a third of the time.  Poor little fellow -- all those freaks hanging out at his crib, yanking him out into the cold and the flashing of cameras.  What a weird tradition ...)

Income Gap: Are The Poor Getting Poorer?

Last night while watching Bill O'Reilly I listened to an interesting discussion regarding the mantra of the poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer -- the divide continues to grow.  O'Reilly, in his interview with Steven Horwitz, professor of economics at St. Lawrence University, referenced a recent article in The Economist: "Inequality: The rise and the rest; What to do (and not do) about inequality."  Here are few excerpts (emphasis added):

The debate about inequality is an old one. But in the wake of a financial crisis that is widely blamed on Wall Street fat cats, from which the richest have rebounded fastest, and ahead of public-spending cuts that will hit the poor hardest, its tone has changed. For much of the past two decades the prevailing view among the world’s policy elite—call it the Davos consensus—was that inequality itself was less important than ensuring that those at the bottom were becoming better-off.
...
Now the focus is on inequality itself, and its supposedly pernicious consequences. One strand of argument, epitomised by “The Spirit Level”, a book that caused a stir in Britain, suggests that countries with greater disparities of income fare worse on all manner of social indicators, from higher murder rates to lower life expectancy. A second thread revisits the macroeconomic consequences of income disparities. Several prominent economists now reckon that inequality was a root cause of the financial crisis: politicians tried to counter the growing gap between rich and poor by encouraging poorer folk to take on more credit (see article). A third argument is that inequality perverts politics, with Wall Street’s influence in Washington often cited as exhibit A of the unhealthy clout of a plutocratic elite.

But, The Economist counters:

Begin with the facts about inequality. Globally, the gap between the rich and the poor has actually been narrowing, as poorer countries are growing faster. Nor is there a monolithic trend within countries (see article). In Latin America, long home to the world’s most unequal societies, many countries—including the biggest, Brazil—have become a bit more equal, as governments have boosted the incomes of the poor with fast growth and an overhaul of public spending to improve the social safety-net (but not by raising tax rates for the rich). 

The gap between rich and poor has risen in other emerging economies (notably China and India) as well as in many rich countries (especially America, but also in places with a reputation for being more egalitarian, such as Germany). But the reasons for this differ. In China inequality has a lot to do with the hukou system of residency permits, which limits internal migration to the towns; by some measures inequality has peaked as rural labour becomes more scarce. In America income inequality began to widen in the 1980s largely because the poor fell behind those in the middle. More recently, the shift has been overwhelmingly due to a rise in the share of income going to the very top—the highest 1% of earners and above—particularly those working in the financial sector. Many Americans are seeing their living standards stagnate, but the gap between most of them has not changed all that much. 

But, Steve Horwitz a week later wrote a response to economists' assertions that the poor are worse off in the U.S. than they were 30 years ago (emphasis added):

The poor are not getting poorer

By Steven G. Horwitz


In the latest version of its annual report "The State of Working America," the Economic Policy Institute once again argues that the gap between America's rich and poor is widening. Using a variety of data, the institute argues that a few are profiting at the expense of many.

Does this narrative actually reflect the state of America's workers? My research suggests it doesn't. While there's no doubt that some Americans remain far wealthier than others, a closer look at the data shows that the prosperity gains of the last few decades have been shared by workers of all income levels.

Much of the Economic Policy Institute's argument involves comparing the income or wealth gains of various groups across the years. For example, it reports that in real dollars, the bottom fifth of households earned an average of only $200 a year more in 2005 than they did in 1979.

At first glance, that seems awful. However, the comparison tells us nothing about how individual households fared over time. That's because the households that occupied the bottom fifth in 2005 are not the same as those that occupied it in 1979.

If we really want to know what happened to the poor of 1979, we need to be able to track specific households through time. Fortunately, we can. According to researchers at the University of Michigan, households in the bottom fifth in 1975 earned an average of almost $28,000 more per year by 1991, adjusted for inflation. According to U.S. Treasury data, a whopping 86 percent of households in the bottom fifth in 1979 had climbed out of poverty by 1988.

The problem with the data in "The State of Working America" is that it does not account for the fact that individual households move up and out of poverty and are then "replaced" by different households. Most of the households in the bottom fifth are made up of people who have recently entered the labor market and are on the first rung of the income ladder, such as recent high school graduates and new immigrants. The vast majority of American households do move up, and over the last 30 years most Americans have gotten significantly richer in absolute terms.

Granted, even if everyone is better off, it's still possible that the rich-poor income gap has widened. But simply measuring income and wealth tells us very little about the lifestyle of typical Americans. For example, poor Americans today are more likely to own basic household goods - such as washing machines, dishwashers, televisions, refrigerators, and toasters - than average Americans were in 1973.

The gap in personal conveniences has clearly narrowed over time. Consider that both Bill Gates and more than 80 percent of poor American households own cars - though likely differing in quality. Fifty or 100 years ago, the difference would not have been in the quality of car, but in owning a car at all.

Yes, there are more Americans in poverty during a recession - some in deep poverty - as the institute's data shows. But it also shows that since about 1980, the share of the population in extreme poverty has hovered between 5 and 6 percent. In other words, there's no long-term upward trend in the percentage of households living in extreme poverty.

The reality of the modern U.S. economy is that upward mobility is alive and well. One look around at even the bottom fifth of American households today - where children are watching cable TV, surfing the Web, or chatting on cell phones while Dad takes free generic medicine and Mom heats something up in a microwave - shows the poor are hardly getting poorer.

Interesting debate!  (By the way, the Economic Policy Institute is a progressive think tank that focuses on the income of low- and middle-income workers.)

Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt ... Is Cuba Next?

I spied this at Babalú .... "First, it was Tunisia.  Then it was Egypt.  Now it's Cuba's turn!"

There is a Facebook page to show your support.

The current events in the Middle East are fascinating.  Are we witnessing a Reformation of sorts .... something akin to the fall of the Iron Curtain?

National Tater Tots Rights Week: Fighting Back Against the War on Tater Tots

I howled when I read this over at Iowahawk:

When Spuds Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Have Spuds

There comes a time when a man must make his stand.

That moment came for me today, when US President / Commander-in-Chief / National School Lunch Lady Barack Obama took to the airwaves to declare an all-out War on Tater Tots. And right on cue, his missus traveled to Fort Jackson SC to brief military leaders on a pressing "national security problem" -- childhood obesity.

Maybe this is what he meant by a "Spudnik moment," but for me it was a wake-up call that our cherished American tuber rights are under siege. For if they can take our Tots, what do the Tater tyrants want next? Our Funyuns? Our Fluffernutter?

No, say I. You can nationalize our car companies. You can spend our country into oblivion. But mister, when you go after my Tots -- you've gone a casserole too far. That's why I'm declaring January 28 to February 3 National Tater Tots Rights Week and asking you to stand up with me against the Tot-grabbers in Washington. Let's let 'em know they'll get our Tater Tots when they pry them from our cold dead greasy fingers! Here's how you can participate:

Join the Buy-cott. Raid the frozen potato section of your local grocery store and buy up their Tot supply before the Feds get there first. Together, we can give Ore-Ida the financial resources they need to stave off a potential hostile government takeover.

Get out in the kitchen, rattle those pots and pans. Okay, you've got a home freezer full of spud nuglets. What next? Feed 'em to your hungry family and friends, stupid! There are a gazillion delicious, insurrectionist ways to incorporate Tots in your diet, like this. So get creative, and take pictures!

Organize and share. Forget the Tea Party, all the hip anti-government revolutionaries are joining the Tot Party! And you can be a Totbagger too - spread the word about National Tater Tot Rights Week on your favorite social media. Share strategies and recipes and organize local Tot-ins in the open comment section below. 

If you have pictures of you spud-activism, make sure you email them to me (link on left sidebar) so I can share them with your comrades. So don't be shy -- show me your Tots!



UPDATE 1/31/11
Breaking spud news! Totbagger fury is simmering in the comments section, along with important information. Via Russell Snow, this alternative take from Joad Cressbeckler:

From commenter "Lawless" comes this suggestion for a Totbagger anthem...

...while Hawaiian tuber activist Kini prefers this infectious bit of 80's potato-pop:

Check the comments for more tater debaters. While the contoversy mashes on, I'm getting correspondence from the front lines. From "Tom Nav" comes this cell phone pic of a bag of soon-to-be contraband he acquired at his local grocers:


From reader Mike Clarke, a delicious division of bacon-armored Tots ready to march into the broiler. Mike adds: "I’m hiding all my tots inside bacon from now on. (with a pickled Jalapeno)"


Sharp eyed New York reader Anthony Bialy shares this on-the-spot photo demonstrating that the Tot insurrection has reached Manhattan. Anthony writes:

"It looks like America's favorite/most awesome chain is on our side. We can stick it to The Man by eating America's favorite form of hash browns as served by comely waitresses. Hooray for orange shorts!"

If that wasn't enough to convince you that Gotham is the new hotbed of Tater revolution, NYC reader "Dahlees" shares this mighty skyscraper of spudlets from her weekend dinner table:



Remember the Alamo! Texan Greg McCoy suggests a battle standard:

"there needs to be a Gonzales Flag of defiance, On the field of the flag a Tater Tot, beneath the words 'Come and Take it'"

Your wish is my command, Tex!



But the early leader for most creative Totbagger goes to another Texan, Gregg Geil, who shares this delicious dessert:

"To really move the needle on tater tot sales, it is necessary to take the tot where it has never been before. Specifically dessert. Dessert tonight was a Tater Tot Sundae. It is redolent of the taste of a french fry dipped in a chocolate Dairy Queen milkshake."

While Clark Van Meter writes to remind me there's a Tater Tot mecca right in my Chicagoland back yard.

"Meier's Tap? I seem to remember you saying something about tots being their signature dish... Is it time to defend teh tot from there?"

Excellent catch, Clark! Perhaps Meiers would be the ideal place for an apres-revolution eat-in.

Totstock, anyone? Let me know if you are interested in the comments. In the meantime, keep emailing those spudventures!

 You really gotta check out Iowahawk's harpooning of America's elitist snobs.  He's hilarious!  The Midwest RUUUUULAAALZZZZ!!!!