Ripley - 2/24/14

Another good one from Abe LIncoln

Abraham Lincoln:

Back when I rode the legal circuit in Illinois, I defended a woman from Metmora named Melissa Goings, 77 years-old. 

They said she murdered her husband, he was 83. He was choking her and she grabbed a-hold of a stick of firewood and fractured his skull and he died. 

In his will he wrote: 'I suspect she has killed me. If I get over it, I will have revenge.' 

No one was keen to see her convicted, he was that kind of husband. I asked the prosecuting attorney if I might have a short conference with my client. 

And she and I went into a room in the courthouse, but I alone emerged. The window in the room was found to be wide open. 

It was believed the old lady may have climbed out of it. 

I told the bailiff right before I left her in the room she asked me where she could get a good drink of water, and I told her Tennessee. 

Mrs. Goings was seen no more in Metamora. Enough justice had been done; they even forgave the bondsman her bail.

A Neat Story

History buff and war memorabilia collector Jordan Chiasson, purchased a military helmet from an army surplus store in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada last August and it turned out to have quite a history. It wasn't until recently that Chaisson noticed a name and an army ID written inside the $30 helmet.

George Johnston's ID and name written inside the helmet

He told CTV Atlantic, “At the beginning, I just wanted to find, see who it belonged to. Like I want to say where did this go? But as soon as I found that he was alive, this got more personal. I was like, ‘I’m going to have to give this to him. It’s not mine to keep.’”

The 21-year-old collector went on a search to find the mystery soldier and contacted the Royal Canadian Legion Command as well as the Canadian War Museum. It didn’t take Chiasson long before he was directed to Private George Johnston who served in the Canada’s North Shore Regiment’s B Company during World War II. Soon he was able to secure Pte. Johnston’s phone number.

Earlier this week Annie Johnston, George’s wife, received a call at home to confirm George’s background. The caller then informed her that someone had George’s helmet and wanted to return it.

After just a three-day search, the helmet was reunited with Johnston after nearly 70 years apart. Since a recent stroke, the 93-year-old army veteran struggles with his speech, but told CBC News, "I could have kissed it. That’s what I felt like."

“He’s quite pleased to have it,” said Annie. “He just kept looking at it. I don't think he could hardly believe that he did have it until Jordan showed him the name. But he told Jordan his rank number right off. He always remembered that."

“To experience that with them, and the joy that was on his face and hers as well, which was really remarkable,” Jordan said.

Pte. George Johnston served from 1940 to 1946 and said that helmet was given to him after an older helmet was bent while he stormed Juno Beach in Normandy on D-Day. After, Johnston said the helmet saved his life while he fought in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. The last time he had the helmet was in 1945 in Berlin, when the war was over.

Chiasson was able to get a very personal experience with the history that fascinates him. He told the CBC, "It feels great actually. I've been smiling ever since. It’s, my girlfriend said she'd never seen my eyes light up so much. And it was nice to see an older fella as well with his eyes just bright, and actually looking at the thing that he held like, 70 years ago."

Johnston was overwhelmed, “Feelings I can’t explain, what it feels like to have that hat back. I never dreamt I’d ever see it.” Annie added, “I’m quite happy that he’s got it. And I think his children will be too.”

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain ........................

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Meteorologists forecast a pair of storms could dump several inches of rain on parched cities and croplands throughout California in the coming week, bringing welcome news to a state that has just endured its driest year in recorded history.

While the rain won't be enough to end the drought, the National Weather Service projected Sunday that the much-needed precipitation could nearly double the amount of rainfall in parts of Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area this year.

By next Saturday, the twin Pacific storms are expected to bring as much as 2 inches of rain to the coast and several feet of snow to the Sierra Nevada.

The first storm on Wednesday won't offer much relief, just light overnight rains heading into Thursday. By Friday, radar images show the second storm should drench the entire state for 24 hours.

"We're not calling it a drought-buster, but it definitely will make a difference," said Jim Bagnall, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford, one of many San Joaquin Valley towns where farmers have fallowed crops in anticipation of record low water supplies. "With these few storms, we could see about an inch total in the valley. So this could obviously have some significant impact."

Politics is the same ..... ANYWHERE you go..

"Barack here, I just saw this expense list and it is not acceptable at all, what will the voters think, bury that 12 million in cash, get rid of the statue, and the bribe, well that wasn't too bad .... find out who this was, I don't want any of this to get back to me, those flights were expensive, and that trip to Hawaii, well, just clean this up ..... what ..... who ...... from where, Kiiev, Yanuk ... who...... Oh,Allah be praised, not one of ours."

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Cash: $12 million. Decoration of a dining hall and tea room: $2.3 million. Statue of a wild boar: $115,000. "A bribe": $4,000.

These are some of the expenses detailed in financial documents found in President Viktor Yanukovych's abandoned residence, which was occupied by protesters after the leader fled the capital.

As thousands of Ukrainians continued to tour Yanukovych's opulent estate outside of Kiev on Sunday, evidence was uncovered of lavish spending in an economy that is teetering on the verge of default.

Yanukovych left Kiev on Friday night after opposition protesters took control of the capital and the national parliament in the wake of deadly clashes with police last week. More than 70 people were killed and hundreds were injured.

While visitors gawked in awe and outrage at Yanukovych's luxurious mansions, ponds and exotic animals, journalists combed through heaps of documents that appeared to show a leader who basked in extravagant wealth while his country sought bailouts from both the West and Russia.

Many of the financial and other documents were burned, while others were dumped in a lake before Yanukovych fled his closely guarded residence, flying to the eastern city of Kharkiv, where his support base is strongest. Divers were able to retrieve many of the documents, and activists laid them out to dry.

Photos of the documents were posted online by Mustafa Nayem, a top Ukrainian investigative journalist for the Ukrainska Pravda website and Hromadske.tv online news channel. Other respected Ukrainian news outlets also reported on the documents.

I'll stay till it sinks Hillary ....... Susan Rice

U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice said on Sunday she has no regrets about initially characterizing the Sept. 11, 2012, attack in Benghazi, Libya, as a "spontaneous response" to an anti-Islam video.

“What I said to you that morning, and what I did every day since, was to share the best information that we had at the time,” Rice told NBC's David Gregory in her first appearance on "Meet the Press" since making her initial remarks about the attack on the show. “The information I provided, which I explained to you, was what we had at the moment. It could change. I commented that this was based on what we knew on that morning, was provided to me and my colleagues and indeed to Congress by the intelligence community, and that’s been well validated in many different ways since."

Rice and other administration officials later came under fire after the attack was determined to be an act of terror.

"That information turned out in some respects not to be 100 percent correct," Rice continued. "But the notion that somehow I or anybody else in the administration is patently false, and that’s been amply demonstrated.”

The high cost of shaving

This is The Art of Shaving M3 Engraved Luxury Razor that sells for $175.00 and sells a companion brush for $110.00, the 8-pack blade refill sells for $16.89.

Oh, that kind of grass ..........

Who invented grass, green lawn type grass, golf course type grass, who had the first green yard, and when. I don't think the Romans had grass, at least I've never seen a mower from back then. George Washington didn't  have a lawn mower, maybe he used sheep, but who actually started grass.

The first lawn mower was invented by Edwin Budding in 1827 in Thrupp, just outside Stroud, in Gloucestershire. Budding's mower was designed primarily to cut the grass on sports grounds and extensive gardens, as a superior alternative to the scythe, and was granted a British patent on August 31, 1830.

So, I guess lawns could go back quite a few years. "Ethyl, all that long green stuff in our yard, I think I am gonna figure out some way to cut it short and it will look better, where are those scissors?"

I looked up the history of golf and it goes way back, so no help there. Golfballs didn't help either, the first were wood, some feathers, so it may be pointless to figure out who had the first grassy yard.

We had one of the old push mowers, steel wheels, good exercise, pushing that thing. Fortunately, then, we didn't have much grass. When we moved in the 50's, we had a half acre of grass, but, a gasoline propelled mower, but, may terraces, so the ole push mower was used on them.

I wonder if the same guy who invented grass also invented flowers. What a "con" advertising and marketing job that is. We spend billions of dollars each year on flowers, etc., that die out, and we spend the same amount next year, how great is that? We plant flowers to enhance the beauty of our property, why? The same reason that McDonalds has so many different products to sell, now. They did well, with a burger, fry and a coke. But, sales were stagnant, so they went to an ad agency and said, "We need more sales." The reply, MORE PRODUCTS .... so, The Big Mac, and on and on and on. Just think of the genius at Burger King, we need something new to advertise. "Put fries on a burger." ...... Genius.

I have decided that is why there are so many different breakfast cereals. NEW products to advertise, they could not come up with new ads, so they had the company come up with new products. "Henry (Ford) our sales are not going up, we need something new to advertise." 

"Let's make a four-door, ask Edsel, he may have an idea."

True North

I saw a movie on Lincoln the other night, and he did this quote .... it seems to me that there is a lot of consideration that can be given to this quote .... therefor, I am posting it here .... think about it........

Abraham Lincoln: A compass, I learned when I was surveying, it'll... it'll point you True North from where you're standing, but it's got no advice about the swamps and deserts and chasms that you'll encounter along the way. 

If in pursuit of your destination, you plunge ahead, heedless of obstacles, and achieve nothing more than to sink in a swamp... 

What's the use of knowing True North?

Powerball, Mega Millions give state budgets a lift

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The scores of losing players in last week's $425 million Powerball jackpot did more than take an extremely long shot at getting rich. Their ticket purchases also helped fund a small but increasingly important part of their states' budgets.

Changes in the nationwide Powerball and Mega Millions games have led to some of the world's largest jackpots in the last two years, boosting player interest and sales. Fueled by the growth of those games and the steady expansion of other offerings, many state lotteries last year reported record revenues and transfers to the state budgets and programs they helped fund.

For every $2 ticket, 50 cents or more might end up paying for police officers in Massachusetts, services for the elderly in Pennsylvania, or education in rural school districts in Idaho, lottery directors say. In all, about $20 billion out of the roughly $70 billion in overall annual lottery revenues is used by states after prize money, retailer commissions, advertising and administrative expenses are taken out. Most states target their lottery revenue to specific causes, with education being the most popular.

Texas Lottery Commission executive director Gary Grief said Powerball sales in his state multiply several times as the jackpots rise, from a normal range of about $3 million per week all the way up to 10 or 15 times that amount. That means millions more dollars for public education in Texas, the lottery's beneficiary, he said.

"That's a very small piece of a big pie, but every dollar counts," he said. "It helps alleviate the drain on other revenue sources for state government."

He and other lottery directors say that revenue from jackpot games still make up a small fraction of overall sales — instant scratch tickets remain their bread and butter.

Mexico's Sinaloa drug chief arrested

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A massive operation that mushroomed through the western Mexican state of Sinaloa last week netted the world's top drug lord, who was captured early Saturday by U.S. and Mexican authorities at a condominium in Mazatlan, officials from both countries said.

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, 56, arrived at the Mexico City airport in the afternoon, looking pudgy, bowed and much like his wanted photos. He was marched by masked marines across a tarmac to a helicopter waiting to whisk him to jail.

Guzman was found with an unidentified woman, said one official not authorized to be quoted by name, adding that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Marshals Service were "heavily involved" in the capture. No shots were fired.

Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam described an operation that took place between Feb. 13 and 17, presumably in Guzman's home state of Sinaloa, though he didn't say what city.

Mexican security agencies came upon several houses where Guzman was known to stay, Murillo Karam said, adding that they found tunnels connecting seven homes and the city's sewer system, presumably for escape. The doors were reinforced with steel, which delayed entry by law enforcement, presumably allowing Guzman to flee several attempts at his capture before Saturday.

Murillo Karam didn't say how authorities traced him to Mazatlan, but said they knew of his whereabouts several times. They were unable to mount an operation earlier because of possible risks to the general public, he added.

Guzman faces multiple federal drug trafficking indictments in the U.S. and is on the DEA's most-wanted list. His drug empire stretches throughout North America and reaches as far away as Europe and Australia. His cartel has been heavily involved in the bloody drug war that has torn through parts of Mexico for the last several years.

SMI - 2/22/14

Happy Birthday to George Washington, I wonder how he feels about being the FATHER of this country and the mess we are in. I think he actually was quite a "rounder" himself, possibly involved in some questionable activities, so it may not come as that great a shock to him.

Colorado has a problem, what to do with all the money. They actually want to spend some of it on a program to caution uses ... with the money they receive from selling it. Same as Ohio and gambling. Eventually it will be as common as liquor sales presently are, and as common as gambling is coming, someday, drugs will be as common, as, I predict, prostitution, any venture that generates tax money will soon be acceptable by all states, out of necessity, then a federal tax on all of them, and then what will the government do for income?

The Sun is out and shining brightly in Ohio, apparently, cold weather is on the way. At least, SPRING TRAINING us underway around the country, in nice warm climates, so warm weather will happen soon, I hope.

I will miss the Winter Olympics, oddly enough, I have "missed" most of it so far. I looked forward to it, but I am good at anticipation, it works good with my mind, generally, some anticipation is not good, example, my eye surgery is next Monday, I think, my appointment has not be verified, a phone cable got cut somewhere and I have not received my verification call yet. If it happens I will be VERY nervous, but relieved and seeing much better when it is over, I hope.

Girl Scout sells 117 cookie boxes in two hours outside pot dispensary

Want to sell a lot of Girl Scout Cookies? Set up shop outside a pot dispensary.

Just about everyone loves Girl Scout Cookies. And one 13-year-old girl came up with an ingenious strategy to significantly boost her sales: setting up shop outside a San Francisco medical marijuana dispensary.

In a major surprise to no one, it was a huge hit, with Danielle Lei selling 117 boxes in just two hours.

Danielle’s mother Carol said she supervised the sale on Monday and that it was the second time she’s allowed her two daughters to sell their Girl Scout Cookies outside of a Green Cross establishment.

"You put it in terms that they may understand," Carol said in an interview with Mashable, who first reported the story. "I'm not condoning it, I'm not saying go out in the streets and take marijuana [...] It also adds a little bit of cool factor. I can be a cool parent for a little bit."

And for a little context on just how intertwined these two things are, one of the more popular and potent strains of medical marijuana is in fact called Girl Scout Cookies.

In fact, the website Leafly says that the Girl Scout Cookies strain was invented by San Francisco-based rapper Berner. So, in a manner of speaking, it’s all coming full circle.

Some chapters of the Girl Scouts have objected to the report but the Northern California branch that oversees Danielle’s area says they have no problem with her business strategy since it was conducted outside of a legal establishment.

"The mom decided this was a place she was comfortable with her daughter being at,” Dana Allen, director of marketing and communications for Girl Scouts of Northern California, told Mashable. "We're not telling people where they can and can't go if it's a legitimate business."

For it’s part, the Green Cross dispensary fully supported the move. And employees were not immune from the lure of Tagalongs and other popular cookies varieties, reportedly buying several boxes themselves.

Car found 40 years later ............. no owner yet

DETROIT (AP) — Police in Tennessee cannot find the man whose Volkswagen Beetle was recently discovered in Detroit, 40 years after it was stolen.

The 1965 car was found in January before it could be shipped to Canada and then to Finland.

Knoxville, Tenn., police spokesman Darrell DeBusk says a man named Joseph McDonald reported it stolen in 1974. He says a phone number left by McDonald no longer works.

DeBusk says McDonald may have been a college student in Knoxville at the time. The car now is white but was red in 1974.

Federal border agents in Detroit who checked the paperwork discovered that the 1965 Beetle was reported stolen. The last owner, a Michigan resident, didn't know that history. The vehicle was being sent overseas to be restored.

Don't DO as I DO, DO as I SAY ...........

NYC mayor faces flap over SUV speeding video

NEW YORK (AP) — Mayor Bill de Blasio faced more questions Friday about why his official vehicles were videotaped breaking traffic laws only two days after he rolled out a sweeping traffic safety plan.

De Blasio deferred to the New York Police Department when met by reporters Friday morning on his way to the gym. The mayor's cars are typically driven by members of his security detail, made up of NYPD detectives.

"The NYPD provides security protocol for the drivers. Talk to them about that," he said.

After his weekly meeting with the mayor on Friday, Police Commissioner William Bratton downplayed the video, saying that the drivers have special training to make decisions based on security needs and won't face any questioning.

"I'm not overly concerned by what I saw," Bratton said.

Asked if the mayor can tell his drivers to slow down, the commissioner responded, "He could raise it, but the security concerns would override any of his concerns."

De Blasio cited Bratton's comments later Friday, saying, "Commissioner Bratton addressed the topic of my security detail earlier today. I am very comfortable with what Commissioner Bratton said and I refer you to his comments."

Despite having said earlier that he would address the apparent speeding, De Blasio refused to answer reporters' shouted questions about the matter.

The mayor was in the front passenger seat of the lead SUV of a two-vehicle caravan on Thursday that was captured on video speeding, running through a pair of stop signs and not signaling when changing lanes. The footage, which aired on WCBS-TV, was taken as de Blasio returned to City Hall after a news conference in Queens.

The video emerged two days after de Blasio released the "Vision Zero" plan, which aims to eliminate all traffic fatalities. The plan proposed reducing the citywide speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph, installing more red light and speed enforcement cameras, detailing more NYPD officers to enforce speeding violations and toughening penalties for speeding.

"We're very serious about 'Vision Zero,' de Blasio said. "We're going to keep moving forward with it."

Another heroine, thank God for them ...............

A life-or-death drama that played out on the side of a Miami highway — where an anguished aunt resuscitated her 5-month-old nephew — was preceded by a silent warning.

Like many infants, little Sebastian de la Cruz hates being stuck in traffic and howls when the car isn't moving.

But on Thursday afternoon, while aunt Pamela Rauseo was driving him home from a doctor's appointment, she noticed he suddenly stopped crying in a bumper-to-bumper jam.

"Something told me, 'I need to check up on him,'" Rauseo said Friday after a photograph of her frantic effort to save the baby boy went viral.

She pulled over to the left and went into the back seat to find the baby alarmingly pale and limp.

In a panic, she thought about calling 911 from the car's OnStar system but was rattled by all the buttons. "Then I tried with my phone and it's asking me for my password. My brain isn't working so that was a no-go," she recalled.

"I got out of the car with him and started screaming for help," she said. "I was pointing at the baby asking for help, saying he's not breathing and a lady and gentleman came quickly.

"At that point the baby was purple...There was no response whatsoever. I kept calling him, 'Seba! Seba!' Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

The female good Samaritan who came to her aid was Lucila Godoy, who was driving with her own child when she spotted Rauseo in distress.

"I wasn't thinking. I just got out of the car and saw the baby and heard her calling him Sebastian, which is my baby's name, and I just freaked out," Godoy said.

"I couldn't think. I was like, 'Please don't die on me.'"

Flagged down by the Miami Herald photographer who took the gripping photos, Sweetwater Police Officer Amauris Bastidas also rushed to help.

The three did CPR on Sebastian, who started breathing — and then suddenly stopped again. More rounds of chest compressions and rescue breathing followed until the baby started breathing on his own again.

"That's when I broke down crying out of relief, knowing that he was OK," Rauseo said.

I believe him .... Yea, really ..... he is a POLITICIAN .... nuff sed....

A former Chief of Staff for Franklin County Auditor Clarence Mingo was paid more than $8,500 in administrative leave payments and given a contract for $135,000 after she made claims of sexual harassment, according to records obtained by 10 Investigates. Jerzell Pierre-Louis worked in Mingo's office until he removed her on January 28, 2013.

In an interview with 10 Investigates, Mingo said that the he removed Pierre-Louis from the position because she no longer possessed the "leadership qualities" he desired. Mingo declined to specify the exact issue. However, he did acknowledge that the move came after Pierre-Louis brought to his attention her concerns that he had been accused of sexual harassment. Even though Pierre-Louis "was separated" from Mingo's office, he continued to pay her administrative leave, for a total of $8,509. 

Mingo called the payment to Pierre-Louis a "courtesy." He said that it was paid to other top staff members who have left the office and is intended to make sure the employee is available if needed. Mingo was unclear whether Pierre-Louis was ever called to offer any services during the time she was getting paid administrative leave. Pierre-Louis clearly wanted more than pay for administrative leave.

In a letter from her attorney dated February 7, 2013, Pierre-Louis called her removal, "retaliation...for complaining to you about your harassing conduct towards (a) staff member and others." The letter made several detailed allegations involving complaints that Pierre-Louis claimed she had received from another employee in Mingo's office.

Those allegations included claims that Mingo sent the woman late night texts and messages, watched her try on clothes and had a physical relationship with the employee. Mingo said the allegations were "absolutely not true." Mingo adamantly claimed loyalty to his wife. "I want you to pay very close attention to this. I have never—I have never been with any other woman sexually, except for my wife," Mingo said.

The letter from Pierre-Louis' attorney stated that Mingo also solicited an affair with Pierre-Louis. "You asked Ms. Pierre-Louis on more than one occasion, 'what would you do if we had an affair,'" the letter said. Mingo denies he made those statements. He said that it was possible Pierre-Louis had mistaken something he said during sexual harassment training for office staff.

Pierre-Louis' attorney, Rex Elliot, said the statements were made but could not be sure of the context. "She certainly took it one way. He may have taken it another way," Elliott said. "But she is certainly not making that up." At the end of the letter, Pierre-Louis made an ultimatum. She promised "to release any claims in exchange for a payment equal to 18 months salary (about $150,000)" 

Money means NOTHING when you are handling money that belongs to other people. There is a bottomless pit .... at ALL levels of government, from the lowest to the highest. It's like a GRANT ... Grant money means nothing .... "Oh, we didn't pay anything for it, we received a GRANT."

POLITICIANS and MONEY have a unique relationship .... money has no value to them, it is an entry on a piece of paper .... much like the "chips" we used in Nevada, they were worth something, but they had NO value to them. We used Silver Dollars on the tables in those days, but we were "instructed" to "convert" them to chips ASAP. They would wager and lose the chips, but pocket the silver dollars ..... the saddest scene in a casino .... when someone cashed out, the money walked out the door, never to be seen again........... it had the same value to Mingo .....

How true ....................

Car Plunges Headfirst Into Sinkhole as Woman Parks in Driveway

A car plunged headfirst into a 10-foot-wide sinkhole on Long Island Friday as a woman was parking in her driveway after returning from an acupuncture appointment.

Authorities said the woman had just arrived at her Rockville Centre home when the ground opened up, swallowing her four-door Subaru.

A friend, who identified the driver as Gail Sorrentino, 65, said she was in shock but managed to call 911 after the car toppled into the hole.

The friend, Howard Osborne, said he was inside the home and came up the stairs to see the car sticking up in the air.

He rushed outside and she told him she had already called 911. Rescuers arrived and were able to pull her out the driver's side window, Osborne said.

Sorrentino was not hurt.

Go Jogging Without Identification? Get Handcuffed And Manhandled Into Police Car

From the blog post of the eyewitness who video recorded what happened:

Sitting at Starbucks, on the corner of 24th and San Antonio, I noticed a particularly odd situation. Two Austin Police officers standing outside the Castilian just lingering. Every time I looked back there was a different student holding a carbon copy of what looked to be a jay walking citation. Suddenly, one of the cops shouts at an innocent girl jogging with her headphones on through West Campus. He wobbled after her and grabbed her by the arm. Startled, and not knowing it was a cop, she jerked her arm away. The cop viewed this as resisting arrest and proceeded to grab both arms tightly, placing her in handcuffs. She repeatedly pleaded with them saying that she was just exercising and to let her go. She repeatedly cried out, “I did not do anything wrong…just give me the ticket.” The other officer strolled over and now they were making a scene. She tried to get up. I doubt she was running away as she was in handcuffs, but the second cop pushed her back down to the ground. Because of the commotion, they walked her to the cop car in the alleyway next to Big Bite, where she, overcome with frustration, yelled loudly to gain attention. Because of that, the cops tightened their grip causing her to squirm and kick. Then came two bike cops from down the alley. We now have four cops and one small, helpless girl in the back of a cop car, because she was just going for a run.