Wino

Obama with his silver tongue sure seems to be living a story-book life. Who would have thought he could unseat Hillary as the leading front runner, who would have thought he could win the White House, who would have thought he could win the Nobel Peace Prize. He has a charmed life so far.

I agree. Let's wait for the autopsy report. Articles like Jan Moir do no good whatsoever.

No doubt that some people are indeed better than others. But because you were blessed with more brains or lucky enough to be raised in a loving family so you could attain your full potential, does not mean others that were not as lucky are looked down upon as oxygen thieves. I am so glad there is plenty of oxygen to go around. I am all for the likes of Levi, Britney, Paris, Joe Francis, and similar people, because this world would be pretty boring if everyone were the same.

Human nature! When you are in the spotlight, put on your best dress and smile for the camera.

That is almost slave wages. Based on a 48 hour week, that is about 130 baht an hour. An unskilled laborer, I am told, will make about 150 baht a day. Now, that IS really slave wages.

That is so true. I feel it is very hard for a home school child to be socially attuned. The best situation would be a school with dedicated teachers and parents that are involved. A hard combination to obtain in this busy world.

I do not condone spanking. Time outs, I think can be an effective disciplinary tool and better for both parent and child. That said, I don't know how I made it through childhood without helmets, car seats and to top it all off......being spanked for misbehaving.

I wish I could get by on 20,000 baht a month. I am such a sucker. If I quit buying this sick buffalo story, I would do much better.

This last paragraph in the article says it all. "Even if the Thai vaccine regimen turns out, on examination, to have had no real benefit, researchers will still learn from the trial, as they do from every study. Moreover, other noteworthy advances featured at the Paris conference this week will offer fresh hope for an AIDS vaccine. Years of investment and dogged science are providing leads for solving one of today’s most pressing research challenges. Some 7,400 new H.I.V. infections occur daily throughout the world. Clearly we need better methods of preventing the spread of H.I.V., and no public health intervention is more powerful or cost-effective against infectious disease than a vaccine." We have to keep trying and the progress, although slow is still progress. We need to keep trying to find an answer.

I am sad to see the Thai people of south terrorized by a small group of militants. Taskin critics said he used heavy handed police-style tactics in dealing with these groups. Let's hope Abhisit can do a better job.

Whether I patronize the services of a prostitute, or not, is not the point I am trying to make. I sympathize with the young prostitute that is unwittingly lured into this age-old profession. Some tend to lay blame on the poor prostitute, saying they consciously wanted to go in this direction. That is a very simple outlook, which in my book, is not correct.

Obama has made a major policy shift in how federal prosecutors are to look at medical marijuana. This is a step in the right direction. By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer Devlin Barrett, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON – Federal drug agents won't pursue pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers in states that allow medical marijuana, under new legal guidelines to be issued Monday by the Obama administration. Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to The Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state law. The guidelines to be issued by the department do, however, make it clear that agents will go after people whose marijuana distribution goes beyond what is permitted under state law or use medical marijuana as a cover for other crimes, the officials said. The new policy is a significant departure from the Bush administration, which insisted it would continue to enforce federal anti-pot laws regardless of state codes. Fourteen states allow some use of marijuana for medical purposes: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. California is unique among those for the widespread presence of dispensaries — businesses that sell marijuana and even advertise their services. Colorado also has several dispensaries, and Rhode Island and New Mexico are in the process of licensing providers, according to the Marijuana Policy Project, a group that promotes the decriminalization of marijuana use. Attorney General Eric Holder said in March that he wanted federal law enforcement officials to pursue those who violate both federal and state law, but it has not been clear how that goal would be put into practice. A three-page memo spelling out the policy is expected to be sent Monday to federal prosecutors in the 14 states, and also to top officials at the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration. The memo, the officials said, emphasizes that prosecutors have wide discretion in choosing which cases to pursue, and says it is not a good use of federal manpower to prosecute those who are without a doubt in compliance with state law. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the legal guidance before it is issued. "This is a major step forward," said Bruce Mirken, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project. "This change in policy moves the federal government dramatically toward respecting scientific and practical reality." Rest of the story at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091019/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_medical_marijuana

Now they are saying the $79 million experiment was a success. Here is the article. LOS ANGELES – NASA's much-hyped mission to hurl a spacecraft into the moon turned out some worthwhile data after all, scientists said. New images show a mile-high plume of lunar debris from the Cabeus crater shortly after the space agency's Centaur rocket struck Oct. 9. "We were blown away by the data returned," Anthony Colaprete, the mission's chief scientist, said in a report Friday from the Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif., which managed the launch. "The team is working hard on the analysis, and the data appear to be of very high quality." In media coverage before the impact, many observers said they were disappointed at the lack of spectacle. But scientists said the mission was carried out for "a scientific purpose, not to put on a fireworks display for the public," said space consultant Alan Stern, a former NASA associate administrator for science. By creating the debris cloud, scientists were able to use the $79-million Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite to sample and study the dust. The LCROSS itself crashed into the same crater four minutes after the Centaur's impact, right on schedule, while its companion spacecraft, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, was flying in lunar orbit 50 miles above the site to gather still more data. But Michio Kaku, a professor at the City College of New York and host of "Sci Q Sundays" on the Science Channel, said NASA may be jumping the gun in calling the results "a smashing success," acting in response to public criticism of the mission. "To be a spectacular success, we had to find large quantities of underground ice," Kaku told The Associated Press Saturday. He said scientists still have more work to do to analyze the data for the presence of ice or water. "They got beautiful pictures of the event, but that's not why we spent $79 million," Kaku said. "Ice on the moon is more valuable than gold." The crashes created a man-made crater about one-fifth the size of a football field, Brown University geologist and LCROSS scientist Peter Schultz told The AP. Colaprete said it was too early to say what the plume contained but that several clues, including the temperature of the flash created by the crash, will help scientists find out in coming weeks. Finding significant amounts of water on the moon would be a major discovery, making eventual colonization easier than it would be if settlers had to transport water from Earth. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sci_shoot_the_moon

I have been drinking wine for years now, thinking it was good for me. Now I am not so sure? By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter by Dennis Thompson SUNDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Just about every month -- if not every week -- a new study emerges touting the health benefits to be gained from a daily glass of wine or a pint of dark beer. The benefits related to cardiovascular health have become well-known. A study released in mid-July, for instance, found that moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in women by increasing the amount of "good" cholesterol in the bloodstream and reducing blood sugar levels. But other studies have linked a daily drink, most often wine, to reduced risk of dementia, bone loss and physical disabilities related to old age. Wine also has been found to increase life expectancy and provide potential protection against some forms of cancer, including esophageal cancer and lymphoma. But don't invest in that case of Pinot noir just yet. Experts with the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association say that though these studies do show some benefits to moderate drinking, the health risks from alcohol consumption far outweigh the potential rewards. Drinking any alcohol at all is known to increase your risk for contracting a number of types of cancer, said Susan Gapstur, vice president of epidemiology for the American Cancer Society. These include cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon/rectum and breast. "At the end of the day, if you are at very high risk for cancer, you might want to limit your alcohol consumption even further," Gapstur said. "It's a lifestyle modification you can make, and we don't have as many lifestyle modifications for preventing cancer as we do for coronary heart disease." There also are other health risks from moderate drinking, including liver damage and accidents caused by impaired reflexes, said Dr. Jennifer Mieres, director of nuclear cardiology at the New York University School of Medicine and an American Heart Association spokeswoman. The health benefits from drinking generally are related to the antioxidants and anti-inflammatories found in red wines and dark beers, Mieres said, but those substances can be found in a number of different fruits and vegetables. "When it comes to disease prevention, you're better off changing your diet to include fruits and vegetables and get your antioxidants and anti-inflammatories from natural sources," she said. For example, people can get resveratrol -- the antioxidant found in red wine that's believed to provide most of the drink's health benefits -- from drinking grape juice just as well as from drinking wine, Mieres said. "For people that don't drink, not drinking is important," Mieres said. "You can get the same benefits of drinking from leading a heart-healthy lifestyle. To me, it's not worth the risk to start drinking. But for people who enjoy a glass of red wine or enjoy drinking, the key is to stick to the definition of moderation," she said. Moderate drinking is defined as one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. What counts as one drink are: 12 ounces of regular beer or wine cooler 8 ounces of malt liquor 5 ounces of wine 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor Drinking anything more than that on a daily basis is known to lead to a host of health problems that can reduce your life expectancy, Mieres and Gapstur said. "I think the take-home message is, if you don't drink, don't start to help protect yourself from coronary heart disease because there are so many other things you can do," Gapstur said. "If you already drink, you might want to limit your consumption." Though the studies touting the positive health effects of alcohol are scientifically accurate, they also appear to play into people's desires for quick fixes to complex problems, Mieres said. "To prevent heart disease, 50 percent of the work has to come from you," she said. "Prevention is a big piece, and you have to be accountable. You have to make lifestyle changes, and that's very tough to do. People look for easy ways to get heart-healthy benefits, and drinking is an easy way to do that. It's a known human tendency: Let's find an easy way out that doesn't involve a lot of thought or work." http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20091018/hl_hsn/drinkingyourwaytohealthperhapsnot

Beautiful people, nice weather, cold beer, what more can you ask for?

It is strange the way these test results were published. Perhaps because so many people are anxiously waiting for a successful HIV vaccine, the military decided to release the results as they did. This paragraph from the article details the usual procedure for publishing results:"Still, the manner in which the trial results were released raised suspicions among some in the AIDS-research community. Scientific results are generally vetted in a two-step process: first, they are published in a peer-reviewed journal, which means a panel of scientists has reviewed and evaluated the validity of the study's methods and the authors' conclusions before publication; once published, other research groups repeat or analyze the data in more depth to further ensure that they are legitimate. The results of the AIDS-vaccine trial did not benefit from either leg of this process. The investigators chose instead to announce the results in a press conference in Thailand, at the request of the Thai government, which wanted to inform its citizens of the positive findings as soon as possible. A U.S. press conference, including the U.S. Army researchers and Fauci, was held several hours later, with a promise to follow up with more detailed data in a presentation at the annual AIDS Vaccine Conference in Paris on Oct. 20."

When posting, I use the "add reply" button and then re-read my post. If I have made any errors, I use the "edit" button. I noticed on an older post that I used here instead of hear and wanted to change it. No "edit" button to be found. Why is that? How do I change an older post?

After reading the following article by Joan Lowy, looks like more airlines should be put on the airline blacklist. WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday proposed levying multimillion-dollar fines against United Airlines and US Airways for safety violations, including flying a plane after mechanics stuffed shop towels into an engine. Full Story »

When I read this story, I thought the mayor was a little wacky. Maybe not? What do you think? By SIMON SHUSTER / MOSCOW Simon Shuster / Moscow – Sat Oct 17, 2009Pigs still can't fly, but this winter, the mayor of Moscow promises to keep it from snowing. For just a few million dollars, the mayor's office will hire the Russian Air Force to spray a fine chemical mist over the clouds before they reach the capital, forcing them to dump their snow outside the city. Authorities say this will be a boon for Moscow, which is typically covered with a blanket of snow from November to March. Road crews won't need to constantly clear the streets, and traffic - and quality of life - will undoubtedly improve. The idea came from Mayor Yury Luzhkov, who is no stranger to playing God. In 2002, he spearheaded a project to reverse the flow of the vast River Ob through Siberia to help irrigate the country's parched Central Asian neighbors. Although that idea hasn't exactly turned out as planned - scientists have said it's not feasible - this time, Luzhkov says, there's no way he can fail. (See TIME's photo-essay "Vladimir Putin: Action Figure.") http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20091017/wl_time/08599193082200

I hope Rio can solve the drug related violence in time for the Olympics. They have a challenge. By FLORA CHARNER, Associated Press Writer Flora Charner, Associated Press Writer RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazilian officials are insisting security won't be a problem for the 2016 Olympics, despite drug-gang violence that plunged Rio de Janeiro into a day of bloody chaos just two weeks after it was picked to host the games. An hourslong firefight between rival gangs in one of the city's slums killed a dozen people, injured six and saw a police helicopter shot down and eight buses set on fire Saturday. Two officers died and four were injured when bullets from the gang battle ripped into their helicopter hovering overhead, forcing it into a fiery crash landing on a soccer field. Gunfire on the ground killed 10 suspected gunmen and wounded two bystanders. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091018/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_brazil_violence

The USA is a big country and filled with some nutcases. Here is a tourist attraction that is said to be the second wackiest site behind the toilet seat museum. ALLIANCE, Neb. – Western Nebraska's automotive replica of England's famed Stonehenge has been named the No. 2 wackiest attraction in America. Carhenge uses old cars painted stone gray to replicate the stone formations found at Stonehenge. Carhenge near Alliance received the wacky recognition from the travel advice site, TripAdvisor, as part of a list of the nation's ten wackiest attractions. The only attraction deemed wackier than Carhenge is the toilet seat museum in San Antonio that features more than 800 decorated toilet seat lids but no bathroom. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091016/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_nebraska_carhenge

Right wing columnist Jan Moir wrote what some describe as a nasty article about Stephen Gately's death. Here is her response from that clamor she started: Some people, particularly in the gay community, have been upset by my article about the sad death of Boyzone member Stephen Gately. This was never my intention. Stephen, as I pointed out in the article was a charming and sweet man who entertained millions. "However, the point of my column-which, I wonder how many of the people complaining have fully read - was to suggest that, in my honest opinion, his death raises many unanswered questions. That was all. Yes, anyone can die at anytime of anything. However, it seems unlikely to me that what took place in the hours immediately preceding Gately's death - out all evening at a nightclub, taking illegal substances, bringing a stranger back to the flat, getting intimate with that stranger - did not have a bearing on his death. At the very least, it could have exacerbated an underlying medical condition. "The entire matter of his sudden death seemed to have been handled with undue haste when lessons could have been learned. On this subject, one very important point. When I wrote that 'he would want to set an example to any impressionable young men who may want to emulate what they might see as his glamorous routine', I was referring to the drugs and the casual invitation extended to a stranger. Not to the fact of his homosexuality. In writing that 'it strikes another blow to the happy-ever-after myth of civil partnerships' I was suggesting that civil partnerships - the introduction of which I am on the record in supporting - have proved just to be as problematic as marriages. "In what is clearly a heavily orchestrated internet campaign I think it is mischievous in the extreme to suggest that my article has homophobic and bigoted undertones." http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/oct/16/jan-moir-stephen-gately-response

Glad to share the info. That is what this board is all about. Enjoy. Not sure about the ladyboys?

Not for love? What then? A normal natural human drive and because it is fun? Oh no, sex is dirty and embarrassing and something we must not talk about. Isn’t that what Sister Mary Elephant implied in school?

Still another report that the good news about the AIDS vaccine might not be as positive as they first thought. Here is part of the story. By ALICE PARK Alice Park – Tue Oct 13, 11:00 am ETIt is an emotional cycle familiar to most AIDS-vaccine researchers: the high of finally making measurable headway against HIV, followed by the crushing low of discovering that the virus has once again found a way to elude them. It happened again on Saturday when researchers learned that the first ever successful AIDS vaccine turned out not to be the triumph they had originally hoped. In September, scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Army announced the results of an AIDS-vaccine study in Thailand involving more than 16,000 volunteers. The data showed that the new vaccine had protected 31% of inoculated participants from becoming infected with HIV. But a closer look at a subset of the study's volunteers now reveals that the vaccine in fact protected only 26% of the people who received it. (See pictures of Africa's AIDS crisis.) The difference is small but critical because the new success rate of 26% falls below the threshold for statistical significance. That means that the odds of being protected from infection by the AIDS vaccine may be no better than chance. http://news.yahoo.co.../08599192992100