Sunday, September 29, 2013
Drug 'Molly' is popular on electronic music scene in US
Molly is the street name for a drug that is pushed as the pure powder form of a banned substance known as MDMA, the main chemical in ecstasy.
NEW YORK – Artist and therapy student Anna and her friends marked a birthday in New York recently with a familiar ritual: They pumped up the electronic music, danced and celebrated with a special guest called Molly.
"It was a group of about 12 people at someone's house and we were all just celebrating," Anna recalled. "Somebody had it and, and you know, it was a pretty electronic music kind of crowd."
Molly, an illegal stimulant frequently sold in pill form, has become prominent in the electronic music scene over the past decade, said Anna, 26, who did not want to give her full name because she is in school and "counseling people to be healthy."
Molly is the street name for a drug that is pushed as the pure powder form of a banned substance known as MDMA, the main chemical in ecstasy. In the last five years, Molly has made its way into popular culture, helped by references to it made by entertainers such as Madonna, Miley Cyrus and Kanye West.
The drug's dangers became more clear after a rash of overdoses and four deaths this summer, including two at a huge annual electronic music festival in New York City.
The parties of the late 1980s and early '90s saw the heyday of ecstasy, but its popularity began to wane a decade ago after a number of deaths and hospitalizations.
That's when Molly made her way onto the scene.
Drug 'Molly' is popular on electronic music scene in USReuters Photo: DEA File A sign with a DEA badge marks the entrance to the US Drug Enforcement Administration Museum in Arlington, Va. Over the last few years, drugs sold under the name Molly have flooded the market, said Rusty Payne, a DEA spokesman.
Over the last few years, drugs sold under that name have "flooded" the market, said Rusty Payne, a spokesman with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
In some states, there has been a 100-fold increase –- the combined number of arrests, seizures, emergency room mentions and overdoses – between 2009 and 2012, according to DEA figures.
The drug is accessible and marketed to recreational drug users who believe it to be less dangerous than its predecessor, which was often cut with other substances, from Ritalin to LSD.
Like ecstasy, Molly is said to give a lengthy, euphoric high with slight hallucinogenic properties.
In reality, however, the promised pure MDMA experience "doesn't exist," said Payne.
'SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT'
Most of the Molly is one of several synthetic designer drugs that have been flooding the U.S. and European marketplace from chemical labs primarily based in China, Payne said.
"A lot of people are missing the boat here," he said. Molly could be anything ... 80 to 90 percent of the time we are given a chemical or substance believed to be Molly, we're finding most of the time it is something completely different."
Four recent deaths attributed to Molly have thrust the club drug into the national spotlight. On August 31, a 23-year-old Syracuse University graduate and a 20-year-old University of New Hampshire student died after taking what they believed to be Molly during an electronic music concert in New York City. The deaths, and several other reported overdoses, prompted the Electric Zoo festival to cancel the final day of the concert.
A University of Virginia student died at a rave in Washington, D.C., the same weekend, after taking what her friends said was Molly. Days earlier in Boston, a 19-year-old woman died in a club and three concert-goers overdosed at the waterfront, police said.
In Atlanta, this weekend's TomorrowWorld music festival organizers warned on its website of zero-tolerance for MDMA use, but noted: "If you or someone around you has taken something that you are concerned about or need help, it is important that you tell our staff. We are here to help and never judge."
The number of visits to U.S. emergency rooms involving MDMA has jumped 123 percent since 2004, according to data compiled by the Drug Abuse Warning Network. In 2011, the most recent year on record, there were 22,498 such visits.
In the New York concert deaths, the medical examiner found lethal mixtures of MDMA and methylone, a synthetic stimulant, the DEA said.
"It's exactly the same phenomenon that occurred with ecstasy a decade ago," said Dr. Charles Grob, a professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the UCLA School of Medicine and an expert on MDMA. "Ecstasy had terrible reliability and it's the same with Molly. Though it's being marketed as pure MDMA, it's a hoax."
Overdose symptoms can include rapid heart beat, overheating, excessive sweating, shivering and involuntary twitching.
Grob said references in pop culture can fan misconceptions.
Miley Cyrus admitted in July that a lyric in her new dance anthem "We Can't Stop" was a reference to Molly. Last year at a Miami concert, Madonna, the mother of a teenager, asked: "How many people in this crowd have seen Molly?" She later said she was referring to a friend.
The illusion that MDMA is somehow less harmful has been branded with Molly, according to Anna.
"I have definitely heard that people think that it's pure. I have some friends that are like 'I only want to do Molly. I won't do other stuff' because it's marketed as something that's somehow better," said Anna. "But actually no one knows what's in it. All of it is a gamble."
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By Victoria Cavaliere of Reuters
Time for yet another soothing story about Christianity courtesy of the Bible.
The barely bearded one, Joe Miller, who don't need nothing from no stinking "gubmint," is begging for donations on Facebook to pay for the birth of his grandson. Oh and a vehicle to transport his surfboard.
The Facebook page of Joe Miller, who is seeking the GOP nomination for Senate after a failed 2010 Senate run as the Republican nominee, has shared a plea for financial help from his daughter, Kelsey Meza, and her husband. The couple works in Mexico for Youth with a Mission -- a Christian charitable organization -- and they draw no salary, instead relying "on God’s provision and generosity of our support team for our income." Miller, who campaigned on a theme of smaller government and greater personal responsibility, shared the money request on Thursday. According to the couple's blog, which features instructions about how to help, the goal is to raise $10,000 by December -- to pay for the birth of a baby and for a new truck or SUV capable of carrying the family, its dog and surfboards.
A surfboard? Seriously?
Okay now I know what you are going to say. You are going to say that surely this is some kind of joke, because there is NO way that a man like Joe Miller, who constantly talks about pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps and how REAL Americans don't need help from anybody (Except maybe God), would stoop to begging for money from strangers on the internet.
And to that I would answer, "Man you don't know Joe Miller do you?"
Of COURSE Joe wants money donated to him when his family has financial problems, hell he has been grifting for money ever since he got his ass handed to him back in 2010 by Lisa Murkowski.
Not that it has usually done him much good:
A campaign disclosure report shows Joe Miller’s political action committee raised $5,210 last year.
But hey maybe he has not always been good at attracting donations, but this time is different.
After all there is a baby on the way. And a surfboard that desperately needs a ride. Have some compassion!
P.S. Speaking of compassion if you take a look at the comments section over at the Dispatch you will see that there is very little available for Miller in Alaska these days.
Good luck with that primary race oh Barely Bearded One. You're going to need it!
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Can you find yourself in a sea of 1.2 billion Facebook profile pics?
Check out all the Faces of Facebook. It's a site that visualizes more than 1.2 billion Facebook users on a single page, compiling their profile pictures like the world's craziest patchwork quilt. When you first click on the site, the work of freelance designer Natalia Rojas, there are so many faces that it just looks like static. It's only when you begin to zoom in on the faces (arranged chronologically based on when they registered with the site) that you can actually start to process the scale of what you're seeing. Rojas says the site doesn't break any rules, because it doesn't store information or photos. We must admit, it's quite a tribute to the reach of Mark Zuckerberg's dorm-room brainchild. Can you find yourself? [Source]
Article Source here
Author: now.msn.com
Miss Philippines Megan Young crowned Miss World 2013 in Bali
The 2013 Miss World pageant has been won by Miss Philippines, Megan Young, on the Indonesian island of Bali.
US-born Ms Young, 23, beat 126 other contestants and pledged to be "the best Miss World ever".
The competition was moved to Bali from the capital, Jakarta, because of protests from hardline Muslim groups.
Security for Saturday's event was high in Bali, a resort island with a majority Hindu population, but no further demonstrations were reported.
Miss France, Marine Lorphelin, came second in the contest and Miss Ghana, Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter, took third place.
Wearing a glittering gown, Ms Young, who moved to the Philippines at the age of 10, wept as the Miss World sash was put over her shoulder by 2012 winner Miss China.
She told the cheering crowd in Nusa Dua in southern Bali she would "be myself in everything I do, to share what I know and to educate people".
Heavily armed police patrolled the event in southern Bali Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country and the organisers had originally offered to abandon the contest's bikini round in an attempt to address complaints of pornography and immorality.
Protests were led by the hardline Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI), which had planned to cross to the island from East Java but were prevented when the port was shut late on Friday.
The event, broadcast in 180 countries, was guarded by heavily armed police with water cannon while some 1,000 FPI members held a prayer session at a mosque outside Jakarta.
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Author: bbc.co.uk
Half of British pilots fall asleep in cockpit
More than half of British pilots admit to falling asleep in the cockpit, and nearly a third of those say they have woken up to find the co-pilot asleep, too.
LONDON — More than half of British airline pilots say they have fallen asleep in the cockpit, a survey said, ahead of an EU vote on flying hours which a pilots' association said could compromise flight safety.
According to the British Airline Pilots' Association, 56 percent of 500 commercial pilots admitted to being asleep while on the flight deck and, of those, nearly one in three said they had woken up to find their co-pilot also asleep.
Pilot exhaustion grabbed the headlines this week when a newspaper reported two pilots on a British long-haul flight fell asleep in the cockpit, leaving the packed jet travellng unsupervised on autopilot.
The survey, released by BALPA, came ahead of a vote in the European Parliament Monday on new rules which could replace British regulations.
"Tiredness is already a major challenge for pilots who are deeply concerned that unscientific new EU rules will cut UK standards and lead to increased levels of tiredness, which has been shown to be a major contributory factor in air accidents."— Jim McAuslan, BALPA general secretary
BALPA, a trade union for pilots, voiced concerns that these proposed changes would water down British safety standards.
The rule changes would mean that pilots could work a maximum of 110 hours in a two-week period, more than the 95-hour limit under British regulations, and at night could be expected to fly for up to 11 hours, against a current 10-hour limit.
"Tiredness is already a major challenge for pilots who are deeply concerned that unscientific new EU rules will cut UK standards and lead to increased levels of tiredness, which has been shown to be a major contributory factor in air accidents," BALPA General Secretary Jim McAuslan said in a statement.
The proposals, devised by the European Aviation Safety Agency to harmonize the rules regarding pilots' hours across the European Union, would also mean they could be called to work at any time on their days off. Currently, restrictions are in place to help them plan their rest on days off.
The survey of pilots, by pollster ComRes, found 84 percent of respondents believed their abilities had been compromised over the last six months by tiredness with almost half saying pilot exhaustion was the biggest threat to flight safety.
"The new ... rules would ensure that Europe will continue to have one of the strictest rules in the world, even stricter than today."— Athar Husain Khan, acting secretary-general, Association of European Airlines
British lawmakers, in a report published earlier this month, expressed concern that the new European rules set the limit for the flight duty period at night too high.
But the Association of European Airlines, which represents 31 European airlines, urged support for the proposals, saying they would ensure all airlines followed the same rules.
"The new ... rules would ensure that Europe will continue to have one of the strictest rules in the world, even stricter than today," the body's acting Secretary-General Athar Husain Khan said in a statement.
The Civil Aviation Agency, Britain's aviation regulator, dismissed worries about the new rules.
"We think the new European flight time limitation regulations maintain the UK's current high safety levels, and will actually increase safety for UK passengers travelling on some other European airlines," it said in a statement.
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Author:
By Sarah Young of Reuters
Gingerbread Man is employed to catch crosswalk violators
The Riverside, Calif., sheriff's department may employ the Brothers Grimm as consultants, as their most recent operation to increase traffic safety involved a 7-foot tall Gingerbread Man. The large confection could be seen crossing back and forth for almost an hour at the Moreno Valley crosswalk, and 13 motorists who did not yield to him were cited (we assume in these cases he was advised to "run, run, as fast as he can"). So was this a grab out of the taxpayer cookie jar? Not at all, according to Sgt. Bill Guimont, who points out the crosswalk is in front of an elementary school: “Our concern is if they can’t see a 7-foot Gingerbread Man, then how are they going to see their son or daughter that is only 5 feet tall walking through a crosswalk.” [Source]
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Author: now.msn.com
Kansas group claims science is religion and sues to keep it from being taught in public schools. Wait, what?
A Kansas-based group that “promotes the religious rights of parents, children, and taxpayers” is challenging the state’s science standards because they include the teaching of evolution, which the group claims is a religion and therefore should be excluded from science class.
As the AP reports, Citizens for Objective Public Education (COPE) claims that public schools “promote a ‘non-theistic religious worldview’ by allowing only ‘materialistic’ or ‘atheistic’ explanations to scientific questions.” The group argues that by teaching evolution “the state would be ‘indoctrinating’ impressionable students in violation of the First Amendment.”
COPE’s challenge [PDF] states that the teaching of evolution “amounts to an excessive government entanglement with religion” and violates the rights of Christian parents.
Indeed, COPE’s stated mission is to create “religious[ly] neutral” schools that do not promote “pantheistic and materialistic religions, including Atheism and Religious (‘Secular’) Humanism” - a category under which it includes “Darwinian evolution.”
I am not even sure where to begin.
Well first let me say that I sort of saw this coming decades ago when I first heard the argument proffered that "evolution was just a theory, which scientists believed to be true." I knew then that it was a blatant attempt to bring the teaching of evolution into the same realm shared by religion, as simply a matter of faith, because essentially it was the ONLY way that religion could challenge it.
Over the years I have watched Creationist polish their argument and even some of these debates between scientists like Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss with young earth Creationists like Kent Hovind and William Lane Graig, which can be found all over YouTube, are attempts to position themselves in the same rarefied air that only scientists should really occupy.
Personally I am all for this Kansas case actually going to trial, during which those who want to teach Intelligent Design (The camouflaged version of Creationism.) in public schools can explain exactly WHAT they want to teach and what evidence they will use to teach it, and the scientific community can do the same.
I am also interested in how this group defines "religion" and how they would make the case that the teaching of science fits within it. And does that definition apply to ALL science taught in schools, including botany and astronomy, or does it only apply to those scientific disciplines which might negatively impact their ability to explain the world to children using fairy tales?
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'Soldier' has more fun playing kick the can than you ever did
The title of this little YouTube amusement is "When Lithuanian Soldiers Are Bored," and the resulting exhibition suggests the national army has a lot of down time. Possibly they spend it perfecting this entertaining form of kick-the-can taekwondo, or more likely they spend it hunched over a laptop creating CGI-enhanced videos of purported soldiers taking gymnastic target practice on dumpsters. It's easy to be suspicious (the sounds are almost identical, and the trajectory of those rebounds seems a bit much for your ordinary aluminum can), but at least the spin kicks are impressive. Now, if only someone would fix the gravity in Lithuania.
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Author: now.msn.com
In the category of more bad news for the Conservatives, the UN's climate panel says "Yep it's hot, and it's all our fault."
A landmark report says scientists are 95% certain that humans are the "dominant cause" of global warming since the 1950s.
The report by the UN's climate panel details the physical evidence behind climate change.
On the ground, in the air, in the oceans, global warming is "unequivocal", it explained. It adds that a pause in warming over the past 15 years is too short to reflect long-term trends.
The panel warns that continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all aspects of the climate system.
To contain these changes will require "substantial and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions".
Gee, first the attempts to stop Obamacare crashed and burned, then Obama secures diplomatic breakthroughs with both Syria AND Iran, and now the whole world (Except REAL Americans of course.) recognize that man is behind all of the crazy climate change?
It is almost enough to convince a pro-business, anti-government, Bible believing, conservative that they have been wrong about..well just about everything!
Well if they believed in something called "facts" that is.
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Roman Polanski and the sin of simplification
Samantha Geimer, whose book The Girl, deals with her assault by Roman Polanski. Photograph: Tim Knox for the Guardian
Samantha Geimer, the girl in the Roman Polanski rape case, has published what might be the most important and valuable book of the century so far.
It may prove to be one of those books that a lot of people talk about without actually reading, like A Brief History of Time, or The Tipping Point, or most of the school syllabus.
But that's OK. The value of Geimer's book, The Girl, lies in the debate it stirs up; this is already happening through serialisation and widespread, articulate interviews with the author. If that triggers a bigger discussion among non-readers, then she has still done something useful and important.
How much do you know about the story? I knew a bit, but still experienced what hurried book reviewers call "an emotional rollercoaster" while reading one of her interviews.
When Samantha Geimer was 13, the famous 43-year-old film director Roman Polanski said that he was photographing young American girls for a feature in French Vogue. With forgivable naivety, Geimer's mother allowed him to take her out alone. He photographed her topless, which she did not tell her mother.
A few weeks later, Polanski took Samantha to Jack Nicholson's house, gave her several glasses of champagne and part of a sleeping pill, then had sex with her. It was statutory rape. Geimer says: "It was rape in every sense of the word. I said no."
The way in which he had sex with her is indelicate to include, but important. Geimer's book expresses it with literate sarcasm: referring to a sympathetic psychological report after Polanski's arrest, which cited his "solicitude concerning pregnancy" as a mitigating factor, Geimer says this was "an interesting new euphemism for sodomy".
I don't know how this makes you feel. It fills me with thoughts of violence. I imagine being alone with Polanski, kicking and punching him. The anger I feel, at the thought of this being done to a drugged child, seems to be an instinctively brutal one.
Then you read about the life of Roman Polanski. How shameful and how pointless to punish him with violence, even in the imagination.
Aged six, he saw his father taken to a concentration camp. His mother died at Auschwitz when she was four months pregnant. At 35, with God knows what ineradicable scars, Polanski married Sharon Tate and they started a family immediately. Tate was eight months pregnant when a gang broke into their home, stabbed her to death and smeared "pig" on the front door in her blood.
This is not an excuse; other survivors have not become rapists. But it silences my violent instinct immediately and creates a sharp and terrible sympathy in parallel with the anger. A second complicating factor is that Polanski's work is filled with beauty and humanity.
These are unfamiliar feelings; our modern world does not invite us to treat anybody as nuanced. People are heroes or villains, victims or victimisers; sometimes neither, but never both.
When Roman Polanski, who has lived in exile from America and its justice system for decades, was nominated for an Oscar for directing The Pianist, Samantha Geimer called on the Academy to "judge the movie, not the man".
She has been exchanging emails with Polanski for several years.
She says that the police investigation, hospital exams and reporting of the case were more traumatic than the attack itself. She says: "I did something wrong, I was stupid… To pose topless, and to drink and to take the [sleeping] pill."
It is so easy and tempting to knock this into a pigeonhole: the misguided self-blame and denial of the victim. But this woman is too smart and articulate for us comfortably to assume we know better. She puts these complicated thoughts out there, alongside her anger, not because she's too damaged to think clearly but because she can't bear the world's oversimplification.
When a therapist on the Oprah Winfrey show explained that Geimer was suffering from "victim's guilt", she said this was "patronising"; who would dare patronise her further by saying that it wasn't?
In The Pianist, Polanski transformed his ghastly knowledge of the camps into an act of artistic self-expression. In The Girl, Geimer does the same with her rape. That is a powerful response, from both of them. But what an incredibly complicated common bond.
It is the complication that we need. People have become desperate to reduce everything, including each other, to mindless categories of good and bad, as if the world can be divided into Facebook likes and dislikes.
When I wrote about the Muslim women in Birmingham who were protesting against a ban on the niqab, and the argument that they are so deeply in the patriarchal grip that they cannot choose as freely as they think, I pointed out that people have said the same to me about taking my husband's name. Many readers asked why I was defending the veil. Others pointed out the differences between veiling your face and changing your name. It was as though there is no room for analogy unless it's a direct comparison and no room for words on the niqab other than "Hurray for it" or "Ban it".
Similarly, we yearn to know if we should be cheering or booing at Operation Yewtree, political leaders or the idea of bombing Syria.
So what is to be done with Samantha Geimer's story? She does not condemn Polanski nor exonerate him. She does not blame herself nor refuse to examine herself. Her voice is strong and complicated. Youcannot simplify her, or him.
Her current battle is not with her original oppressor but the reporters of then and now, the lawyers, the psychologists of reality TV and everyone watching – all of whom objectified her further. She is fighting against reductive simplicity. She forces us to think hard, to use muscles that must not go slack.
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Author: Victoria Coren Mitchell
The Heritage Foundation has another article written for Sarah Palin to claim as her own. Don't worry they made it folksier with hunting metaphors.
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| "Wait how far is it to the nearest bathroom?" |
A simple fact is missing from all the media hysteria and political establishment temper tantrums over Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee’s attempt to defund Obamacare. (Oh this ought to be good!)
Americans are getting slammed by Obamacare right now. Workforces are decimated as health care prices rise. Public opinion is on our side. If now was not the time to unite and fight it, when was? Those who are attacking Cruz and Lee’s efforts have forgotten how negotiations are won. (Okay this might be a good place to remind everybody that Obamacare does not officially kick off for three more days, so there can be NO "decimated workforce" or "rising health care prices" that can be attributed it. IF in fact any such data existed, which it does not! Actually quite the opposite data is available which refutes these statements completely.)
Use as an example the negotiations a governor of energy-rich Alaska must engage in with powerful multinational oil tycoons. In my experience, I found that the key to achieving success for the people you’re elected to serve is to take a firm position, stand solid, and negotiate from there when the other guy is ready to take you seriously. You fight as hard as you can with whatever small edge you’ve got until the other guy respects you enough to wise up, sit down, and come to a mutually acceptable agreement. You get nothing at all if you preemptively surrender before the battle even commences. (After which of course you leave office and the successor YOU chose completely guts the signature legislation that you are bragging about up above.)
Imagine how much stronger the GOP’s hand would have been if every Republican (and those Democrats who’ve finally admitted Obamacare’s devastating flaws) stood together against cloture in order to prevent Harry Reid from cutting off debate and stripping Obamacare defunding from the bill? (Yes, imagine the government grinding to a complete halt. Or simply read history to determine just how stupid this idea would be.)
Not only would there have been pressure on red state Democrats up for re-election (She's talking about you Begich.) to join the right cause, there would have been pressure on Reid and the White House to negotiate agreements. Even if the GOP couldn’t have defunded all of Obamacare, they could have negotiated some relief for average Americans who now feel they can do nothing but brace for the coming train wreck. (The law will have virtually NO effect on the vast number of already insured Americans beyond lowering their health care costs. There are currently some companies stripping their part time workers of their health insurance benefits, but that will not last once the health care exchanges are up and running. Really it is estimated that only 1% of companies will stop providing a health care plan to their employees.) We average Americans know we’ll never get the exemptions and favors Obama gave his political cronies and Congress, (This, of course, is a purposeful misrepresentation of what Congress gets, and here is an article that explains it fully.) but any relief for the middle class would have been welcomed. (You mean like relief in the form of affordable health care?)
But Republicans got nothing from squabbling with each other and denouncing (on and off the record) the brave men who tried to do something. (Well except credibility for being serious about their responsibility that is.)
Ted Cruz and Mike Lee fought to fulfill the campaign promises every Republican made (To shutdown the government?), and their actions have been revelatory for all of us.
Hunters know what flushing dogs do. (Yes they do what their masters tell them to do and assist them in achieving their goals.) Cruz and Lee were acting as the grassroots’ ("Grassroots" in this case meaning the Heritage Foundation and the Koch brothers.) flushing dogs. Their actions showed us who was willing to stand up for hard working Americans and who wasn’t. We thank Senators Vitter, Paul, Crapo, Enzi, Fischer, Roberts, Scott, Heller, Grassley, Toomey, Moran, Rubio, Shelby, Risch, Inhofe, Portman, and Sessions for standing with Cruz and Lee. (That's right, name them all. Any politician who is endorsed by Sarah Palin is guaranteed to have a troubled future.)
In 2010, a galvanized grassroots rallied against Obamacare to carry Republicans to victory. But in 2012, many in the grassroots stayed home, and we saw how that turned out for the GOP. (And get ready for a repeat in 2014.)
Unfortunately, the message of some politicians today seems to be: “Whoopsie, seems I can’t fulfill my election promises, but vote for me again and I promise to do what I promised last time.”
Sorry, that doesn’t cut it. America, you deserve better. If they can’t do anything with the power you gave them through their elected office, then you deserve someone else to give it a try. (Yes keep right on electing unsophisticated idiots who do not understand how government functions. Look how well that has worked out so far.)
2014 is just around the corner, and we’re ready for it. Support those who do us a favor by flushing out politicians wanting to hide. Retrieving liberty must be the point in all this.
"The sky is falling, the sky is falling, the sky is falling" cried Chicken Little Brain.
Personally I am over the moon that the conservatives have become so desperate that they have resurrected Sarah Palin's moldy corpse and have it shuffling around snapping and clawing at everybody who dares stand up for fixing our broken health care system.
Her reappearance has helped numerous pundits point out the ridiculousness of the conservatives argument, as well as helping to identify the many lies proffered by the Koch brother sock puppets. After all who better to draw attention to the bullshit than Ms. "Death Panels" herself?
As the President would no doubt say if he was even aware that Palin was still alive, "Proceed half-term Governor turned reality show loser, proceed."
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Bored with your yacht? Take the plunge on a luxury submarine
A soak in the Jacuzzi, a quick game in the squash court and skeet off the aft deck — cruising on their giant yachts is getting to be a giant bore for the super-rich. New toys are always needed. And so the hottest booths at the Monaco Yacht Show belong the guys peddling the latest accessory: submarines. “They’re fed up with drinking white wine and riding jet skis, so they’re looking for another thrill," Bert Houtman of U-Boat Worx said of his clientele. The newest models can dive as deep as 5,000 feet, include air conditioning and sound systems, and run up to $4.2 million. Oh, and that's not including the "shadow" vessel that may be needed to tow the sub if your yacht can't handle an 18,000-pound load. After all, it's the submarine you want to sink. [Source]
Article Source here
Author: now.msn.com
'Rubber Duck' debuts in America
A giant rubber duck approaches Pittsburgh
A 40-foot-high and 30-foot-wide inflatable rubber duck, created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, thrills spectators in Pittsburgh.
A giant inflatable rubber duck, created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, is towed up the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh on Friday, Sept. 27.
Pittsburgh's duck is the first "Made-in-the-USA" version of the Dutch artist's creation.
The duck's arrival kicks off the month-long Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts, which features theater, dance, music and visual arts from around the world. After the opening night the duck will be moored downtown until Oct. 20.
Taking duck photos
Spectators photograph a 40-foot-high and 30-foot-wide inflatable rubber duck, created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, as it is towed up the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh on Friday, Sept. 27.
The event marks the North American debut of Hofman's Rubber Duck Project, which has taken place in cities in Asia, Europe, Australia and South America.
Spectators set their sights on the giant duck
People lining both sides of the Allegheny River take photos as a version of Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's giant "Rubber Duck" is towed past Heinz Field for its debut in Pittsburgh on Friday, Sept. 27.
Giant duck makes its way to Pittsburgh
A giant inflatable rubber duck, created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, is towed up the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh on Friday, Sept. 27.
Crowds gather for a glimpse of the duck
Thousands of people line both sides of the Allegheny River as a version of Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's giant "Rubber Duck" is towed past Heinz Field for its debut in Pittsburgh on Friday, Sept. 27.
Heading up the Ohio River
A version of Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman giant "Rubber Duck" is towed up the Ohio River under the West End Bridge for its debut in Pittsburgh on Friday, Sept. 27.
Paddleboarders take a gander
A pair of men paddling paddleboards move towards a version of Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman giant "Rubber Duck" as it is towed up the Ohio River for its debut in Pittsburgh on Friday, Sept. 27.
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Author: now.msn.com
