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Today's World - February 2007

Should We Eat Aliens?

February 27th 2007 18:30
NEWS:
AUSTRALIA: INTEREST RATES
Interest rates in Australia, like the cost of living, are going up one more incremental step.
The Australian cost of living is about to make one of its incremental changes. The Australian dollar lost more footing Thursday as against the U.S. dollar. As of Tuesday, the Australian to US exchange ratio, this last week fell to 0.7620/1.00. It appears that to forestall further decline, the Australian National Reserve Bank will be forced to increase interest rates.
VIEWS:
After all the artificial fixes are worn out, the simple laws of global economics will require Australians to increase their country’’s Gross National Product There just isn’’t any other final remedy. Any other ‘‘alleged’’ remedy would be just another band-aid. Make more, make better Australians!!! and I guess the same goes for everybody.

NEWS: The U.S. Supreme Court to look at high speed chases:
On Monday the Supreme Court Justices will begin considering a case where a 19 year old Victor Harris was paralyzed in 2001 in an intentional automobile collision in Georgia, U.S., where Deputy Timothy Scott, after having receiving permission from his superiors, used a police technique called ‘‘Pursuit Intervention’’ where the idea is to ram a fleeing vehicle at an angle to spin it around allowing the police to apprehend the fleeing civilian.
After Scott’s patrol vehicle angularly contacted with Harris’ vehicle, speeding to avoid apprehension at speeds between 73mph to 90 mph, Harris’ vehicle went into an embankment leaving Harris paralyzed.
Harris sued Scott for his injuries and has prevailed in what appears to be two trials in the Trial Courts, having argued that he was just a speeder, fleeing only because he was scared, and ‘‘deadly force’’ was unjustifiable.

High-speed police chases are fodder for cable news, but they kill more than 350 people on average every year. This week, for the first time in 20 years, the Supreme Court considers limiting how far police can go in trying to catch a fleeing suspect.
Craig Jones, Harris' Atlanta-based lawyer, said Harris had committed no serious crime and that officers could have ended the chase and tried to arrest Harris at his home at a later time.
Of interest are the facts that Harris was never prosecuted. Scott left the Coweta sheriff's office for another law enforcement job in Georgia.
VIEWS:
I can only think of a few reasons why such an incident may take place: The driver is under the influence; the driver has warrants outstanding; the driver is fleeing from a crime or there are drugs present. Beyond these, it just doesn’t seem reasonable to try to outspeed the police. My article did not give facts to indicate why the chase started in the first place.
Without knowing why the chase started, it is difficult to form an opinion in this case. Hopefully, the U.S. Supreme Court Justices will have more to go on - tough question with more than 350 people each year being killed (presumably in the U,S.) as a result of high-speed chases Certainly, the police must use discretion in deciding whether or not to continue a high-speed once started.
NEWS: IS IT A HOAX OR IS IT FOR REAL?
Russian fishermen from the Rostov region of Russia claim to have caught a very, very strange creature weighing nearly 100 kilograms, after a strong storm in the Sea of Azov. They claim to have filmed the ‘‘monster’’ by using a cell phone before eating it (They had been put to sea for two weeks - food getting low?) One of the fisherman said it was the most delicious ‘‘fish’’ he had ever eaten.
Click here to see the creature. Pravda
The fishermen believe they had caught a “space alien”; scientists were, of course disappointed that the physical evidence has disappeared into the mouths of the fishermen.
VIEW:
You are going to have decide for yourself, terrestrial or extraterrestrial? I sure don’’t know. But it sure is very, very interesting!!! (Is there a ““Black Lagoon”” in the Rostov region of Russia?)
NEWS: HERE’S A SURPRISE!!
Australia will be banning the sale of incandescent light bulbs, saving 800,000 tons of CO2 emissions during the three year phase-out period, with an annual emission reduction of 4 million tons by 2015. Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) are to be the new stars, though the LED guys are lurking on the sidelines. California is also mulling on this ban. Globally lighting is equal in emission contribution to about 70% of the world's passenger vehicles.
VIEWS:
Wow!! Who would have guessed that light bulbs contribute 70% as much emission to the atmosphere as all the world’s passenger vehicles? Not me, that’s for sure.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:
"That lowdown scoundrel deserves to be kicked to death by a jackass, and I'm just the one to do it," A congressional candidate in Texas - name unknown

JOKE OF THE DAY:

An old county doctor went way out to the boondocks to deliver a baby. It was so far out
that there was no electricity. When the doctor arrived there was no one home except for the laboring mother and her 5 year old child.

The doctor instructed the child to hold a lantern high so he could see while he helped the woman deliver the baby. The child did so, the mother pushed, and after a little while, the doctor lifted the new born baby by the feet and spanked him on the bottom to get him to take his first breath.

"Hit him again," the child said. "He shouldn't have crawled up there in the first place!!"

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Thank Goodness For Dumb Criminals

February 25th 2007 17:40
NEWS:
“STUPID CRIMES AND CRIMINALS”:
A man and his girlfriend were robbing a convenience store. While waiting for her boyfriend to finish getting the money, the woman noticed a contest entry form. Thinking it would be cool to win, she filled out the form, complete with her name, address, and phone number. A few hours later the police were at the couple's house to arrest them.
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A man went into a drug store and announced his intentions to commit robbery. He pulled a Hefty Bag over his face to use as a mask to conceal his identity. He did not, however, cut eyeholes in the Hefty Bag and therefore was unable to see anything; consequently he was tackled by a brave and alert customer and subsequently arrested.
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NEWS:
BAD, BAD APRIL FOOL’S JOKES:
Imagine reading that your husband or brother, who has been held in a squalid Romanian prison for years, is finally going to be released. You make the long journey to the prison and stand outside the prison gates, waiting desperately for the moment you'll be reunited with your loved one, only to hear... 'April Fools! No one's being released!'
This experience happened to sixty people in April 2000 who read in the Opinia newspaper that their loved ones were going to be released from the Baia Mare prison in Romania. They made the long journey to the prison, only to learn that the paper had played an April Fool's joke on them. The Opinia later published an apology.
Views: I would hope so, but not much of a consolation!
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NEWS:
MORE BAD APRIL FOOL’S JOKES
Glenn Howlett's colleagues at London city hall thought they had dreamed up a great gag. They sent him a memo informing him that the really big report he was working on was going to be due early, in just two weeks. The tip-off was that the memo was dated April 1st. Ha Ha. Except Howlett didn't realize it was a joke. He received the memo while on vacation and immediately cut his vacation short and phoned the office to tell everyone to start getting busy. But as he contemplated the new deadline he worked himself up into an increasing state of panic, until soon he began to experience heart palpitations. Finally he collapsed from the stress and had to take leave from work. As he was recovering he realized it just wasn't worth risking his health to finish the report, so he filed for early retirement. At which point someone told him the early deadline was just a joke. He responded by suing for damages. As a consequence of his lawsuit, city hall banned employees from pulling any more pranks.
VIEWS:
Good result, but what about Mr. Howlett's damages; it seems he suffered as a result of the prank.
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NEWS:
The film National Lampoon's Vacation includes a scene in which Chevy Chase ties a dog to the bumper of his car, then forgets the dog is there and drives away.
Inspired by this scene, Paul Goobie tied a dead Chihuahua to the bumper of his co-worker's car. His co-worker, Kevin Meloy, got in the car and drove off, unaware that the chihuahua was there. Obviously passing motorists were horrified. But what made the situation even worse was that Meloy was deaf, so he couldn't hear the other motorists frantically honking at him. Happily he drove on for miles until finally someone was able to get his attention. Police charged Goobie with unlawful disposal of a dead animal.
VIEWS:
Serves Goobie right; some funny joke, huh? Sometimes, truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
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OLDER NEWS: FINAL BAD APRIL FOOL’S JOKE!!! The Iraqi Ambassador's Final Joke on April 1, 2003, as thousands of American-led coalition troops stormed across Iraq, the Iraqi ambassador to Russia, Abbas Khalaf Kunfuth, held a press conference in Moscow. Many were expecting him to announce that Iraq conceded defeat. Instead Kunfuth chose this moment to hold a gag press conference. Holding up a piece of paper that he identified as a news flash from Reuters, he read aloud from it: "The Americans have accidentally fired a nuclear missile into British forces, killing seven." Immediately the room full of reporters went silent with shock. Then Kunfuth grinned and shouted 'April Fools!' Only a few days after this unexpected moment of levity, the Iraqi government completely collapsed.
VIEWS:
Sounds like a very sick mind trying to be funny regarding a very serious situation. Shame on him!
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
““Quit worrying about your health, it’’ll go away”” - Robert Orben
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JOKE OF THE DAY: ““WHY”” QUESTIONS:
Why does the sun lighten our hair, but darken our skin?
Why can't women put on mascara with their mouth closed?
Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?
Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?
Why is a boxing ring square?
Why is it called lipstick if you can still move your lips?
Why is it considered necessary to nail down the lid of a coffin?
Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?
Why is it that rain drops but snow falls?
Why is it that to stop Windows 95 or 98, you have to click on "Start"?
Why is it that when you're driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavour, and dishwashing liquid is made with real lemons?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the third hand on the watch called a second hand?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn't there a special name for the tops of your feet?
You know that little indestructible black box that is used on planes? Why can't they make the whole plane out of the same substance?
Why do you need a driver's license to buy booze when you can't drink and drive?
Why isn't there mouse-flavoured cat food?
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CLICHE OF THE DAY - Upper hand
Meaning: Control of a situation.
Example:If you are wondering who has the upper hand in your relationship, the next time you get up to fetch drinks, take a look on the sofa. There you will find that person.
Origin: This phrase originated with the advent of sandlot baseball. In order to determine which team would bat first, one player would grasp the baseball bat at the lower end. A player from the opposing team would then place his hand directly above the first player's hand. They would alternate hands up the bat until the end was reached and one of the players had the "upper hand" making him the winner, and his team would bat first.

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Courage, Equality and Shame

February 23rd 2007 20:37



NEWS: Britain’’s Prince Harry to be Deployed to Iraq:
Britain defense ministry confirmed Thursday that Prince Harry, son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and third in line to the British throne, will be sent to Iraq in May or June of this year.
Harry will become the first royal to serve in a war zone since his uncle, the Duke of York, piloted a helicopter 25 years ago in the Falklands conflict.
Harry will serve as a troop commander in charge of several light tank reconnaissance vehicles. While there has been speculation that he would be placed in a position of relative safety, Harry has stated that he does not want special treatment, and he therefore will carry out a ““normal troop commander’’s role”” according to Clarence House, who speaks on behalf of the prince and the Ministry of Defense.
VIEWS:
Good luck and Godspeed, Harry. May the force be with you and all the troops serving in Iraq.
NEWS:
Men and women tennis players will receive equal prize money at Wimbledon this year for the first time in the history of what some consider the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. This move follows the U.S. Open and the Australian Open moves in paying equal prize money across all events.
John McEnroe, the former bad boy of tennis, has long campaigned for this change. Former six-time singles champion Billie Jean King, a pioneer for women's sports agreed: ““This news has been a long time coming," she said. "Wimbledon is one of the most respected events in all of sports and now with women and men paid on an equal scale, it demonstrates to the rest of the world that this is the right thing to do for the sport, the tournament and the world.””
NEWS:
At 4pm on October 14, 2005, Garry Chaston the top Immigration Department official on duty on Thursday Island, Queensland, Australia began taking distress calls from the Immigration vessel Malu Sara, which was carrying four adults and a child on the 74km trip between Saibai Island and Badu Island through Queensland’’s treacherous Torres Straits.
The skipper Wildred Baira, told Mr Chaston he was ““lost in fog.”” Aside from Captain Baira the vessel carried three other adults and one child.

At 6pm Mr Chaston handed the matter over to a inexperienced junior officer, Jerry Stephen, so he could keep an appointment to take his wife to dinner at the Thursday Island Bowls Club.

At 2.15am the next day, Mr Chaston was told by Water Police, who had taken over the situation, the boat was "sinking fast", but Chaston, the most senior Immigration officer on Thursday Island did not return to take control until 9.15am. But by then, the Malu Sara had sunk, and all aboard were presumed dead.

Asked about the incident, Mr Chaston, who was moved to Immigration Department offices in Cairns because Torres Strait Islanders were threatening him, said: “I have been advised by the department not to say anything, so you will have to direct your questions to them.”
Torres Strait Islanders are claiming that the government agency let the boat sink because the passengers were black. Badu Island chairman Jack Ahmat said: ““If the boat had police or Customs people in it, they would have been rescued immediately, but because they are black people, they don't worry about them.””

VIEWS:
Seems like a great dereliction of duty to this writer and if Gary Chaston is not relieved of duty completely and fired, a further dereliction of duty will seem to have occurred.
CLICHE OF THE DAY: (not really a ““cliche,”” but interesting nonetheless):
The word golf came from olde Scotland where the game was invented. It was called: ““Gentlemen Only- Ladies Forbidden - ““GOLF””
JOKE OF THE DAY:A king gathered his serfs all together and told them that he wanted two moats around his castle. Now, the kingdom had not had a war for the last three hundred years, and the serfs felt that digging two moats around the king’’s castle was useless and foolhardy; they refused to dig the moats.
The king assembled all his army and threatened the serfs with death if they did not dig the moats. The serfs conferred among themselves, and the spokesman said to the king “O, your majesty, we dig you the moats”

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Call Me About Armageddon & Tipsy Cows

February 21st 2007 22:15
NEWS: U.S. veep, Dick Cheney on the road:
Vice President Cheney will be visiting Japan and Australia this week for purposes of requesting additional military support in Iraq and Afghanistan . He will meet John Howard later this week as the Bush administration tries to shore up support for the war on terror at home and abroad.
Views: It will be interesting to see the results of the visit with Australian Prime Minister John Howard The visit by George W. Bush's deputy comes at a sensitive time for the Prime Minister, who is struggling to win public approval for Australia's continued presence in Iraq which certainly seems on the wane.

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NEWS: Crime Prevention and Police Enforcement in Action:

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E.T. and Murphy's Laws

February 13th 2007 00:29
Just Go At Your Own Speed


Many will recall that on July 8, 1947,

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The Lighter Side

February 12th 2007 00:36
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Rain, Drought, and Getting A Leg Up

February 9th 2007 17:52
My apologies for the long lapse of this column. Involved in a move of residence which took up most of the time. We should be back in sync now.
NEWS:
The Australian drought continues to parch the land and dry up much of the countryside in many parts of Australia.. Global Warming, El Nino and other phenomenon are being blamed. More and more governments and persons in places that count seem to be coming around to the fact that Global Warming is a real thing and are beginning to take some action to stop this devastating condition.

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Journalism On The Witness Stand

February 8th 2007 17:35
Journalists On The Witness Stand

The investigation into allegations that Scooter Libby is the person who revealed the identity of CIA operative, Valerie Plame, continues. Revealing the identity of a CIA undercover employee is against the law.

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