Wino

When the Africans read some of the news coming out of North America and Europe, I bet they say the same thing about us.

To me, this is an abuse of police powers. I know it is the law, but I feel it is not right for the police to seize private property. I think the law was enacted in order to hurt the drug dealers but has been expanded too far. Oct 23, 8:24 pm ET CHICAGO (AFP) – A small town police department in Minnesota will put a motorized lounge chair up for auction next week after it was seized in a drunk driving incident. The black and blue pleather lounge chair comes complete with stereo, footrest, cupholders, headlights, a nitrous oxide power boost system, drag racing-style steering wheel and a parachute. Built on top of a riding lawnmower engine, the chair is decorated with stickers proclaiming "hell yeah it's fast" and "I smoked your (expletive)," and can get up to speeds of around 15 miles (24 kilometers) per hour. It was seized on August 31, 2008 after Dennis LeRoy Anderson, 62, smashed it into a parked car on his way back from a local bar in Proctor, Minnesota. Anderson told police the only reason he hit the car was because a girl jumped up on the chair. "We cannot confirm or deny the story," police chief Walter Wobig told AFP. "The bottom line is it doesn't get him off driving while intoxicated." Anderson, who Wobig called "a very nice guy," had a blood alcohol level of 0.29 -- more than three times the legal limit. And it wasn't his first drunk driving arrest. State law allows police to seize vehicles in drunk driving cases and either use them for official use or sell them once a conviction is obtained. Wobig, who had seen Anderson driving the chair around town for a year or two prior to his arrest, decided it was only fair to treat the chair the same way he would treat a Corvette. So he stuck it in his garage while Anderson's case made its way through the courts. Anderson pleaded guilty on Monday and the paper work to transfer ownership to the police department should be completed soon, Wobig said. It will hit eBay once Wobig can post a notice in Proctor's weekly paper, which comes out on Wednesday. He's not going to set a reserve price and won't even hazard a guess at what the chair will bring in for his department. http://news.yahoo.co.../uscrimeoffbeat

I usually use shaving cream when shaving but have found it really is not necessary. I was on a short trip and forgot the shaving cream. Instead of going out to buy a new can of cream, I used hot water and common soap to lather up my face and was surprised by the results. I guess if it was good enough for your father/grandfather it should be good enough for this generation.

When I saw this article about a Michigan man trying to set a new Guinness World Record by eating 16 cockroaches. Gross! I know that eating insects in Thailand is common but eating 16 hissing Madagascar cockroaches? Sun Oct 25, 8:54 am ET LANSING, Mich. – A Michigan pet store employee got himself a mouthful of cockroaches — on purpose. The Lansing State Journal reported Sean Murphy on Friday stuffed 16 Madagascar hissing cockroaches into his mouth. He was trying to set a new Guinness World Records mark and said the old record was 11. Murphy initially got 12 squirming cockroaches into his mouth, but then kept adding them until he got to 16. He says it was a "big surprise" since he's never fit that many in his mouth before "in one try." The employee of Preuss Pets in Lansing says each cockroach was at least 2 1/2 inches long. Murphy says he might try for 20 next year. A video of the feat was posted on the newspaper's Web site. Murphy's effort would need to be certified by Guinness for it to be official. http://news.yahoo.co...WFuc3R1ZmZzbW91

This judge abused his power and will pay for his crimes. I wonder though, if his idea of paddling for a lesser jail sentence was an innovative idea and a crime deterrent? I am sure he did it to get his rocks off but isn’t caning a similar idea? What do you think? By PHILLIP RAWLS, Associated Press Writer Phillip Rawls, Associated Press Writer – Wed Oct 21, 6:23 pm ET MOBILE, Ala. – Kidnapping and extortion charges against a former Alabama judge were dismissed Wednesday, but a jury will deliberate the remaining felony counts accusing him of paddling and sexually abusing male inmates in return for leniency. Circuit Judge Claud Neilson said jurors would hear closing arguments in the pared-down case against former Mobile Circuit Judge Herman Thomas on Thursday morning and begin deliberating later in the day. Thomas, 48, was a community leader in Mobile, serving as a judge for 17 years, a trustee of two universities and an organizer of mentoring programs for youth. He resigned in 2007 when allegations surfaced that he spanked defendants with a wooden paddle. Then earlier this year a grand jury indicted him on charges that he physically and sexually abusing young male defendants in return for help with their cases. He originally faced 103 charges involving 15 young men, but prosecutors dropped four of the men's cases during the trial, and the judge threw out all ethics charges against him because the statute of limitations expired. On Wednesday, the judge dismissed kidnapping charges, saying accusations that Thomas took young men to a private courthouse office for paddlings didn't constitute kidnapping. "I don't think kidnapping occurred in the Mobile County courthouse in a room that is unlocked," he said. Neilson also threw out the extortion charges accusing Thomas of securing sexual favors from inmates in return for leniency. He said Alabama's law involves taking things of value permanently or for a long period, and taking sexual favors doesn't fit the definition of the law. "How do you deprive someone permanently of sexual favors?" he asked prosecutors. Defense attorney Jeff Deen said he was pleased that four-fifths of the original charges had been dismissed or thrown out, and only 21 charges remained. Chief Assistant District Attorney Nicki Patterson said the jury would still consider very serious charges of assault, sexual abuse, attempted sodomy and sodomy. The last charge is the most serious and carries a sentence of 10 years to life in prison. Thomas did not testify in his own defense during the trial. Defense attorney Robert "Cowboy Bob" Clark said there was no need because of the lack of credibility of Thomas' 11 accusers. "They were a bunch of felonious liars," Clark said. Instead of Thomas defending himself, the defense team spent two days presenting a Roman Catholic archbishop, two school principals, a kindergarten teacher and a coach who described how Thomas spent many hours speaking to school groups and mentoring young people, particularly those in trouble. "What else do you want? You want the pope?" Clark told reporters outside the courtroom. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091021/ap_on_re_us/us_judge_inmate_sex;_ylt=Ah0ykYCN_t2zAVZBuytoLWp_fNdF

Yes it is free. It is a must, if you are to obtain the many advertized discounts.

Your plan is the best way to weight loss. Watch what you eat. Control your caloric intake and kick up your metabolism by exercising. Doesn't hurt to eat a few more Acai berries, too.

Seems Halloween is a very popular holiday in the US. Many families enjoy decorating their house and yard with scary skeletons, tombstones, spiders, ghosts and the sort. The most popular is buying a pumpkin and making it into a jack-o-lantern. This is done by gutting the inside and carving a face. They then illuminate the pumpkin, usually by lighting the inside with a candle. Kids love the holiday, not only because they have school and church sponsored parties but also because they can dress up and go around the neighborhood receiving free candy.

I have never had the experience to fly Northwest. That might be a blessing. I had a friend always used Northwest to fly to Thailand and he never had much good to say about the airline. He continued to fly them because of the convenient schedule and the built up frequent flier miles. I read where the first officer denies they were sleeping or arguing. "The first officer of the Northwest Airlines jet that missed its destination by 150 miles says he and the captain were not sleeping or arguing in the cockpit but he wouldn't explain their lapse in response and the detour." http://news.yahoo.co...rport_overflown

I am not sure if capital punishment deters murder or not. If I had to guess, I would say probably not. I have always heard that most murders are unplanned or more impulsive, usually between individuals that know each other. With all the drug gangs and drive-by shootings, that premise might not hold true anymore. I don’t know. There have been many studies to determine whether capital punishment deters crime. The proponents always site the study in the mid-1970, where they concluded that execution deterred about 7 or 8 murders. I do not think anyone was able to replicate the outcome of that study. Seems the overwhelming studies tend to be inconclusive or say capital punishment is not a deterrent. If the states are forced to spend millions of dollars on keeping the death penalty, I would think those millions would be better spent for more policemen and law enforcement work.

I haven't been to a buffalo race in Thailand, although the one I attended in Indonesia was great fun. Perhaps I will make the next one in Chonburi. Here is a picture from the Nation.

And who determines "there is no doubt about guilt?" The appellate court system is burdened with this task. That is how our justice system is set-up. I wish it were quicker and less expensive but under our system, the wheels of justice move slowly. I think it is a pretty good system and much better than the quick executions that happened under Stalin, Castro and the Iranian courts.

Here is an article from the Nation that reports there will be no "red shirt" violence in Hua Hin. Seems the leaders only want to present a letter to the summit voicing the reasons for the disruption at the earlier failed meeting in Pattaya. "Natthawut Saikua, a red-shirt leader, said Thursday the red-shirt people would not try to disrupt the Asean summit from Friday to Sunday. He said seven representatives of the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship would go to Puektian Beach in Phetchaburi on Saturday to submit their letter to show support for the summit and explain what happened during the failed summit in Pattaya. The red-shirts stormed into the summit venue in Pattaya, prompting it to collapse. Natthawut said the seven representatives would travel alone without other demonstrators and would leave after submitting the letter. Arissaman Pongruangrong, who led protesters to disrupt the summit in Pattaya, said representatives of the government and Asean summit would come to receive the letter at the Puektian Beach at 1 pm on Saturday." http://www.nationmul...Asean-summit-Na

Here is an interesting study about men and regulation of their emotional response. Very interesting research reported by Sally Law. Is sex a state of mind? A recent study from the University of British Columbia finds that while most men can regulate their physical and mental sexual arousal to some degree, the men most able to do so are able to control their other emotions as well. “We suspect that if an individual is good at regulating one type of emotional response, he/she is probably good at regulating other emotional responses,†says Jason Winters, the study’s research head. “This has never been shown before.†The study employed 16 randomly ordered video clips. Eight were erotic, and eight were funny (specifically, the funny video clips featured the least sexy comedian the researchers could find: Mitch Hedberg). Participants were instructed to control their response to certain videos, and simply to watch the others. They then rated their arousal following each clip, and were hooked up to machines that measured their erections. Researchers wanted to know: Could men control sexual arousal, fooling both themselves and others? http://www.livescien...regulation.html

Looks like the authorities in Brazil are trying to begin cleaning up the gang violence. This from an article by Marcelo Soares and Chris Kraul. "Rio de Janeiro police on Wednesday announced seven more deaths and 17 arrests as drug-fueled violence continued to sweep over parts of the city that this month was named to host the 2016 Olympics. The death toll has risen to 33 since Saturday, when rival gangs launched a turf war for control of drug trafficking in several favelas, or shantytowns, interspersed among Rio's luxury hotels and residential areas. Hundreds of Rio de Janeiro state police have been deployed in a bid to control the violence. Gov. Sergio Cabral has requested additional forces from the federal government. The pressure is on local authorities to quell the violence as Rio begins its $14-billion preparations to host the Olympics in 2016, the first time the Games will be held in South America. Mayor Eduardo Paes is on a foreign trip to generate investment in the effort. In awarding the Games to Rio instead of Chicago, Tokyo or Madrid, the International Olympic Committee made a leap of faith that Rio authorities would bring the city's sometimes horrendous crime under control." http://www.latimes.c...nce22-2009oct22,0,3119375.story

I enjoy most of your posts. Much better than some of the babble that comes out of my mouth and others.

The picture of the outside of his jail cell does not look to bad. Maybe since it is a holding facility, it is not as nasty as a real jail cell. Completing a film while in a prison cell should be interesting. Maybe he can continue with his film career while in LA?

You are right, that was for a large jet and also after almost 30 years of service. Here is an article about two Northwest pilots that overshot their destination by 150 miles. Some think they were taking a nap while the auto-pilot was on. The pilots said they were in deep conversation. What do you think? By STEVE KARNOWSKI, Associated Press Writer MINNEAPOLIS – Two Northwest Airlines pilots failed to make radio contact with ground controllers for more than an hour and overflew their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles before discovering the mistake and turning around. The plane landed safely Wednesday evening, apparently without passengers realizing that anything had been amiss. No one was hurt. The Federal Aviation Administration said the crew told authorities they became distracted during a heated discussion over airline policy and lost track of their location, but federal officials are investigating whether pilot fatigue might also have played a role. The National Transportation Safety Board does not yet know if the crew fell asleep, spokesman Keith Holloway said, calling that idea "speculative." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091022/ap_on_bi_ge/us_northwest_airport_overflown;_ylt=AgUjTzGTn0zVA6ZPE7hpaQFzfNdF

Here is a recent update of the king's condition. Good to see that he is up and around. HM the King has made his first public appearance since getting admitted at the Siriraj Hospital over a month ago, coming down to the hospital's ground floor to pay homage to his late mother and King Rama V on the occassion of the Piya Maharaja Day. It was an emotional scene as many well-wishers wept as His Majesty made his appearance on his electronic wheelchair to place garlands for the portraits of his late mother and King Rama V. A lot of well-wishers were at the hospital today as it is a public holiday. Tears rolled down their faces as emotional "Long Live the King" were uttered and echoed on the hospital's ground floor. The monarch looked alert and considerably in satisfactory condition. The appearance followed a tough week for the Thai people as rumours about his health caused panic selling or even speculative selling in the stock market. The government has urged the public to follow the official announcements which report that the King's conditions have been improving. An inquiry has been made into the sources of the rumours. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/10/23/national/national_30115095.php#

There are many research projects looking for a vaccine to prevent HIV/AIDS. Here is an article about "elite controllers;" they are HIV infected people who show no signs or symptoms of the virus. Scientists want to study more of these individuals to help with their vaccine search. Here is the story. By Tan Ee Lyn PARIS (Reuters)– AIDS researchers want to expand their study of a rare group of HIV-infected people, whose immune systems naturally and mysteriously prevent the virus thriving in their bodies, to span the globe. Studies of these "elite controllers," which aim to find an AIDS vaccine, have so far concentrated on north America. But now scientists are hoping to draw in people from Asia, Africa and Latin America. Elite controllers are healthy, have no signs or symptoms of HIV-related disease and no need for treatment, sometimes as much as 10 years after their infection. Scientists are hoping to uncover the secret behind their robust immune systems and use it to design a vaccine for everyone. "The hope is if we know the immune protective mechanism in elite controllers, we can target it for vaccine design," Yu Xu, assistant professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, told Reuters after addressing an AIDS vaccine conference in Paris. There are now 2,000 such controllers or "long term nonprogressers" mostly from the United States and Canada, whose blood samples and other data are being closely studied. Now scientists are hoping to bring in others from China, South Africa, Peru, Thailand, Brazil and other parts of the world. At the conference, researchers detailed a trial in Thailand that appears to have shown a vaccine can protect some people -- although scientists still do not understand why or how. Delegates are hoping to piece together a clearer picture of how to design a vaccine that would prevent infection. DOING IT NATURALLY An estimated 33 million people globally have HIV, and there is no cure. Drugs can control the virus and people like the controllers, who can do it naturally, are unusual. "There are many in China. There are about 400 -- villagers infected in the 1990s and who are surviving until now. They have very low viral loads," Yu said. "Last year we went to China and contacted some researchers and they may send us samples too," Yu said, adding that collaboration from Hong Kong may also be likely. "We have collaboration with South Africa, Peru, Thailand, Brazil. We hope to get more patients involved. Either we can have samples or transfer some technology." There are two classes of controllers, the more common being those with 2,000 copies of the virus or fewer in their bodies, and the even rarer elite controllers who have fewer than 50 copies. "(Virus in the) elite controllers can't be detected at all (with regular equipment). On average, an HIV-infected person has 30,000 copies," Yu added. Yu's colleague Mathias Lichterfeld told a news conference that controllers appear to have superior dendritic cells, one of the many types of immune cells, which appear to be a point of access for the AIDS virus. Lichterfeld said some of the dendritic cells in the patients have higher activity of certain receptors -- molecular doorways in cells. "This offers potentially the opportunity to manipulate these two receptors to advance vaccine studies," he added. Controllers also appear to have unusually powerful responses to HIV in their CD8 T-cells, another type of immune cell. "How do they maintain the power to respond so fast and effectively?" Yu asked. http://news.yahoo.co...V9C0zGDtA2DfNdF

I would be willing to bet, if you managed to do away with the gown and flowers, there would be plenty of curves for you.

Thaksin may want power and a sort of dynasty but he is in no way Pol Pot.

Acai Berry not only taste good and are full of antioxidants, there might be something to the weight loss angle. I came across this article about the berry. Stephanie Allen, a health news reporter went on the supplement for a month and had good results. Here is her story.You've probably seen at least one internet ad or weight loss blog talking about how great the Acai Berry Diet is, but have you seen any real evidence to support these outrageous claims? Sure, the Acai Berry has been called a “super food†potent with antioxidants, but can it really stimulate fat loss or is this just another fad? Here at Health News 4 we decided to put the Acai Berry to the test with our own exclusive investigation. I’ve tried almost every diet out there, but despite my initial skepticism I decided to personally volunteer to test these products and see what all the hype was about. Since Acai Berry ads are everywhere, there were plenty of offers to consider but I took some time, did my research and found one of the more reputable and credible Acai Berry sites, called Certified Acai. This offer included a Free* Trial, which was an added bonus, but the biggest reason I chose Certified Acai was because I discovered that this was the most concentrated and purest form of Acai on the market. It was important for me to test the purest product so that I would see if this diet had any real potential. These are some of the benefits that Certfied Acai claimed on their website: • Accelerated Fat Loss • Stimulates Overall Metabolism • Cleanses the Body of Toxins • Increases Overall Energy • Potent With Antioxidants I’ll be honest: I was a little doubtful, but I wanted to see for myself if the Acai Certified weight loss claims were true. In our research we also found that most of the Acai weight loss success stories claimed that they had also used a Colon Cleansing product in addition to the Acai Berry supplement in order to achieve maximum results. I discovered that taking a Colon Cleansing supplement helps rid the body of harmful toxins and excess waste and also allows the Acai Berry supplement to have more of an impact in stimulating metabolism and accelerating the fat loss process. For my test, I chose ColoThin because they were awarded as the winner of the best cleanse product and also had a Free* Trial with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Here are some of the benefits ColoThin claimed on their website: • Lose up to 20 lbs of Harmful Waste • Detoxifies and Cleanses Body • Relieves Constipation and Bloating • Increases Your Energy Levels Within just a few days after I placed the orders I received the Free* Trial offers for both Acai Certified and ColoThin. I also came across special “coupon codes†to order a Free* Trial of both products at a discounted shipping cost. (The total cost was about $6.00) For Certified Acai, I used coupon code: DISCSHIP For Colon Cleanse, I used coupon code: CLEANSENOW My Test: 4 Week Acai Berry Diet: Acai Certified + ColoThin Step 1: Take one Certified Acai per Day Step 2: Take one ColoThin pill per Day My Test Results Journal: Week One: Well, after one week with the diet I was surprised by that fact that I immediately started to see and feel some noticeable results! My energy level seemed to steadily climb each day and towards the end of the day I still felt energized and refreshed where as usually I felt tired and completely drained. I continued to eat regularly but I also noticed that my appetite was subsiding and I was thinking about food a lot less. But the real test came when I weighed myself at the end of the week and I was completely shocked when I discovered that I weighed less than 140 lbs for the first time in years! Week Two: By week two I noticed that my sleep schedule started to become much more regular, and I wasn’t waking up in the middle of the night like I had been doing for months. My energy levels and overall mood also continued to soar. Throughout the week I continued dropping pounds which was a very positive sign because although I was excited about the results in week one, that could have just been mostly excess water weight. I must admit, by the end of week two I was starting to believe that maybe there was something to this diet. Week Three: Week three is when both products really started having a big impact for me. In fact, by the end of week 3 I had dropped down 2 dress sizes! At this point, I was definitely 100% convinced. The results were undeniable. And not only that, but I also continued to experience very high overall energy levels and wasn’t constantly hungry like I had been in the past when using other products. Week Four: By week four I could absolutely say that I was shocked by the results of these products. Everyone here at the office couldn’t believe it either. I actually even lost another 3 lbs of body fat which helped me finally get down to my ideal dress size. I can now see first-hand why so many people are raving about these products. The results speak for themselves. And because of all the additional health benefits, I definitely plan to continue taking the Certified Acai supplement regularly. Summary of Our Investigation Like us here at Health News 4, you might be a little skeptical about the effects of these products, but after conducting my own personal test I can attest that the results are in fact very real. After conducting our study we can see how so many people are finding success losing excess fat with this new diet. Feel free to follow the links we’ve provided to try this incredible diet for yourself. Besides, with the Free* Trial offers you have absolutely nothing to lose. Both products are quality health supplements from credible and reputable companies so you can feel confident that you’ll be getting two powerful fat loss supplements that actually work! Good luck with your weight loss. -Stephanie Allen http://healthnews4.net/1q.php

Health care reform has an uphill battle. The drug companies are spending millions of dollar to make sure they have their way. This is a quote from an article about Congressman Waxman and some difficulties he is having. "Waxman's loss that day was a big victory for drug companies, which have spent more than any other segment of the medical industry to make sure that they come out winners in the effort to overhaul the nation's health-care system. It's understandable the drugmakers would want a roll-call accounting of who their friends and enemies are, considering the size of the investment they are making on Capitol Hill: in the first six months of this year alone, drug and biotech companies and their trade associations spent more than $110 million — that's about $609,000 a day — to influence lawmakers, according to figures compiled by the nonpartisan watchdog group Center for Responsive Politics. The drug industry's legion of registered lobbyists numbers 1,228, or 2.3 for every member of Congress. And its campaign contributions to current members of Waxman's committee have totaled $2.6 million over the past three years." http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0%2C8599%2C1931595%2C00.html

Is it the most posts or the most posts that don't make sense?