Cranky koala meaner than stolen croc

Sydney Morning Herald

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/03/29/1143441187263.html

By Jano Gibson
March 29, 2006

A cranky koala achieved what an angry croc couldn't - it beat off thieves.

The bizarre incident began when Rockhampton police in Queensland received a tip-off that someone had a crocodile in their possession.

"The police came to the zoo, checked out our exhibit and we were down a female freshwater crocodile,'' said Tom Wyatt at Rockhampton City Council.

The 1.2 metre crocodile - known simply as "the girl freshie" - was dragged by thieves over a 2.4 metre fence in the middle of the night.

"Can you imagine these people struggling over a 2.4 metre security fence with a writhing wild reptile?" he said.

"It's not a baby you are holding in your arms here. We are talking about 40 kilograms and 1.2 metres of absolute fury."

"They are not man-eaters [like salt water crocodiles]. But they can still give you a nasty bite."

The thieves originally planned to take one of the zoo's koalas and only changed tack after it proved too vicious, 21-year-old zookeeper Wil Kemp told smh.com.au.

He had been told by police that four people were involved in the wildlife heist, which allegedly involved stealing a koala and swapping it for drugs.

"The original plan was to steal a koala - that's what they were going to use to swap [for] the drugs,'' Mr Kemp said.

"[But] apparently [the koala] scratched the shit out of them.''

"The blokes have quite a lot of scratches and lacerations caused by the koala.''

The thieves then decided to take a crocodile instead.

"I don't know what makes someone go, 'Oh we tried to steal a koala and that didn't work so lets go and steal a croc.' "

"The people who did it must have been quite stupid. It's the last thing I wound have thought a member of the general public would try to steal for drugs."

Mr Kemp said the meat and skin of a freshwater crocodile were worthless, but the stolen reptile might be sold in the pet trade for about $600.

"I'm worried and angered. I spent the last three years looking after it. I hope at least [the person who has it is] looking after it OK.''

He said police had told him they had been unable to locate the crocodile.

"They can't find it because it has been passed on to someone else who traded it for some marijuana and speed.''

Two women have been issued with notices to appear in court over the theft of the crocodile.

Sergeant Paul Elliot said a lot of rumours were flying around about what the thieves' original intention was.

"There's a lot of that going around. We can't confirm or deny if their intention was initially to get a koala. It's all specualtion at the moment."

He would not comment on the drug deal allegations.

Police believe the crocodile was taken in the early hours of Saturday morning but Mr Kemp remembers seeing it on Sunday morning.

He thinks it must have been taken on Monday morning when another drama occurred at the zoo.

"One of the wombats got bitten by a snake. No one can officially remember seeing [the female] crocodile on Monday."

This Week's Words of Wisdom by Master Sheng Yen

Spiritual chaos comes mostly from clinging to the self and the inability to let go.

Some new stuff from the WTF files......

http://www.tastetheexcitement.com/

NASCAR Meats........ well, that says it all :-)

Ok, no it doesn't. I don't eat meat, but if I did..... wow this skeeves me out. I can also picture hotdogs flying down the street at 200mph, lol. That part would be cool :-)

Soldiers flee to Canada to avoid Iraq duty

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1740987,00.html

Soldiers flee to Canada to avoid Iraq duty

Duncan Campbell
Tuesday March 28, 2006
The Guardian

Hundreds of deserters from the US armed forces have crossed into Canada and are now seeking political refugee status there, arguing that violations of the rules of war in Iraq by the US entitle them to asylum.

A decision on a test case involving two US servicemen is due shortly and is being watched with interest by fellow servicemen on both sides of the border. At least 20 others have already applied for asylum and there are an estimated 400 in Canada out of more than 9,000 who have deserted since the conflict started in 2003.

Wow, I never thought I would see something like this in my lifetime. The War in Iraq is truly turning into another Vietnam. Dissention and demands for a pullout are in all strata of society and government, but now soldiers are fleeing. This is not good. When that started happening during the Vietnam Conflict (as far as I know it is still not classified as a war) that's when the draft started.

To illustrate the Vietnam comparison clearly..... The first Iraq war lasted 3 years or so, but we never left and the second has lasted another 3 years. So we have been at war for 6 years officially plus 3 -4 years of other stuff. So it's been a decade. Ten yeas of war, protests, fleeing to Canada and a possible draft. It's not looking good.

Personally I feel it is time to get out. Too many people have died with no progress. There's no clean way to do this, but I still strongly believe it is time. We are in the point of diminishing returns so it is only going to get worse. {sigh} Makes a father think how we are leaving the world for our children........

This Week's Words of Wisdom by Master Sheng Yen

Compassion was the beginning of Buddhism, and it is the essence of Buddhism.

Owww Owww Owwwwwwww

I am in sssssssooooooooooooo much pain! So we mover 50 feet. Yes 50 feet and it took 4 days! Who knew you could cram so much stuff into a 1 bedroom apartment? Not me! LOL. So 4 days of up and down stairs and then throw in rain just for fun :-) Not a good time! But, it's done. Now...... the unpack. That's going to take months! Oh well.......

It's Moving Weekend

Well, the time has come. No more dragging of the feet. We are out this weekend. Its going to be a very long weekend! We still have 75% of our apt. to pack up.{sigh} No fun! Well, once its packed everything has to go down stairs, outside, 50' down the sidewalk and into the new apt. You would think that easy but it's just as hard as moving across country :-( Only difference is we don't get to take a break while the truck is driving. It's worth it though, going from a 1 bedroom into a 2 bedroom apt. It's time. The kids need there own room now. Ideally I would love to be moving into a house, but just can't afford that right now. Hopefully in the next 2 or 3 years we will do that. That's on the to-do list :-D So now I just need to hit the lottery or inherit a lot of money to make it happen......

Evolution.... huummmmmm

Genes show humans are still evolving

New York Times News Service
Published March 7, 2006

Providing the strongest evidence yet that human beings are still evolving, researchers have detected some 700 regions of the human genome where genes appear to have been reshaped by natural selection, a principal force of evolution, within the last 5,000 to 15,000 years.

The genes that show this evolutionary change include some responsible for the senses of taste and smell, digestion, bone structure, skin color and brain function.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0603070187mar07,1,6967465.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

Well, this just gives one more kick in the pants to the attitude of "God said so and here we are." I have no problem if you want to believe this, that's your right. But don't we have enough evidence to stop teaching divine intervention in schools now? I know it's not done here in Nj but it is in several states under the term "inteligent design."

The last person I had this discussion with told me that evolution is a crock. Ok, I conceded it's not perfect, thats why its called a theory. When I asked him about all the evidence his reply was..... "and don't you think God is smart enough to plant evidence?" Well, he had me there... if there is a god I'm sure he/she is smart enough to plant evidence after all a common criminal can do that, just watch CSI :-)

Ah well, since we are still evolving I have decided to take my body in the direction of Jedi powers. I'm going to develop that funky mind influence trick first. That way people can stop telling me that I'm wrong about everything......... but then again, I've been wrong before :-)

House Lawmakers To Intro Audio Flag Bill

House Lawmakers To Intro Audio Flag Bill
March 02, 2006
By Tony Sanders


Rep. Mike Ferguson, R., N.J., will introduce the “Audio Broadcast Flag Licensing Act of 2006” on Thursday (March 2). The bill includes an HD radio component and a satellite radio component, according to staffers in Ferguson’s office, who spoke to Billboard Radio Monitor on condition of anonymity.

The HD component requires any private company that plans to manufacture an HD radio must incorporate technology in that radio that works with a broadcast audio flag “or something similar.” The satellite component imposes similar audio-flag requirements on equipment manufactured for both XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio.

http://billboardradiomonitor.com/radiomonitor/news/business/digital/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002115015

Ok this jackass has got to go! I am so upset that I am not in his district to help vote him out. What is he even thinking? Basically this bill would destroy improvements in radio technology and digital tech like iPods and other mp3 players. All copyrited materials have a fair use clause. An example of fair use is the right to videotape a show to watch later if your not home. That's an everyday occurrence. Every day people also tape radio programs to listen to them whether they are home or on a long commute. I have done this many times for overnight radio show so i could listen to them the next day in my car.

So, why is this ok for TV but not radio? Well, it's not ok because the RIAA says so and they have the money and the lobyists. These are the same people who are trying to shove down our throats that if we buy a CD we can't transfer that music to an iPod for mobile use. That is such a load of BS.

There are so many things corrupt and evil about this group and there policies that I don't know where to start. All I can say at the moment is go to www.eff.org. Join and support your rights!

This Week's Words of Wisdom by Master Sheng Yen

In Buddhism we have analogies that describe diligence in practice. There is the diligence of the mother who always thinks about her child, even when she is away from the child. There is also the diligence of a hen sitting on an egg until it hatches. She won't say "Well, I'll just take a few days off, let the egg cool down, and I'll come back to it." Third is the diligence of a baby who wants to nurse continually. These analogies reflect the attitudes we should have: like the mother, we should be mindful of the practice; like the hen, we should persist in the practice; like the baby, we should hunger for practice. Whatever methods you practice, with these attitudes, you will have diligence, and you will cultivate virtuous roots.

Possessing much won't necessarily make one satisfied;

Possessing little won't necessarily make one want.

- Venerable Shengyen

This came to me via email. It’s very true and a wonderful starting point for meditation. I wish everyone could see this point, they would be much happier. I have issues with this. I sometimes get bad cases of the “got to have its.” I am not as bad as I used to be, but unfortunately I am still paying for my past and will be for many years to come.

New asteroid at top of Earth-threat list

"Observations by astronomers tracking near-Earth asteroids have raised a new object to the top of the Earth-threat list.

The asteroid could strike the Earth in 2102. However, Don Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near Earth Object Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, US, told New Scientist: "The most likely situation, by far, is that additional observations will bring it back down to a zero.

He adds: "We're more likely to be hit between now and then by an object that we don't know about."

Ok now.... does that line in red make you feel any better???????? Come on, if that thing is 12 years away and they can see it, why can't they see the sneaky little bugger that might be 2 years away? LOL oh well. Just goes to show you, when it's your time, it's your time. So prepare now, make your piece with this world and keep it that way. Ya know if we all did that, this would be a much better world to live in anyway :-)

• 11:52 01 March 2006
• NewScientist.com news service
• Kimm Groshon

http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn8788.html

New Angry Guy Alert

today's Angry man award goes to that guy on Rt. 287 during the morning rush. Well I discovered this angry may due to an unknown violation in male driving protocol. I woke up very late for work today... what else is new? :-) So, I rush out the door and fly up the highway on my 35 mile commute. So I am trucking up the road at 80 mph. Not an unusual thing. The road was fairly open, very few bottlenecks, well until angry man. I came up behind him in the far left lane of a three lane highway. I didn't tailgate, I held back since I had made up a lot of time already. So we come to a spot where the lanes to my right are open. Instead of flashing the jerk doing 65 mph to move over I moved right to pass. As I pull up next to him he gives me the angry/hurt "you can't pass me asshole" look and floored it. He paced me for several miles until I had to slow down and move back behind him or hit a truck. He did this three more times and since it was no skin off my nose, it made me laugh.

All was right with the world, he felt superior & I was happy until the next left lane laser came up behind me. Since I saw him a mile back or so I move over. He approached and DID tailgate the angry man. This made angry man more upset. As laser tried to move right and go around angry man cut right and almost ran laser off the road. Uh oh, two alpha drivers ..... bad mix.

Laser was now angry as well. So he cut off angry then angry cut off laser. They almost hit each other and several innocent cars 4 or 5 times before I lost sight of them when I took my exit. So I don't know if they survived there commute or not. But as I took it all in from 5 car lengths behind the this thought came over me ......... people are really really stupid. Just call me Captain Obvious :-)