... Finally Friday ... 6-6-2008

Slide 2: Hugo Tornado Damage Features Oddities June 1, 2008 HUGO, Minn. (AP) ― As residents in Hugo, Minn. begin to move on from last week's tornado, some say they noticed a few bizarre things amid all the damage. Jason Akins said the twister unwound a roll of toilet paper in his bathroom -- draped it across the countertop, then rewound it in the sink. The toilet paper didn't even rip. \"All I could say was, 'You have got to be kidding me,\"' Akins recalled. He also said that winds overturned sofas and ripped away his roof, but dishes of cat food and water were untouched. The cat food was actually still in the bowl. While hurricanes, floods and blizzards create broad swaths of damage, tornados seem to have tiny fingers that can reach in to small areas and cause some weird mischief. Some say tornados have their own personalities. Terry Clarkin said the Hugo tornado stuck four steak knives in the yard -- and they landed in a perfect square, with the blades in the dirt about three inches. Across the street, a tree had been stripped of leaves, and instead was filled with pink wads of insulation -- looking much like a tree from a cartoon. Some residents made interesting findings amid the wreckage. Five-year-old Lauren Ford found a red Spider-Man T-shirt in her back yard. One neighbor found a fishing boat against the remains of a front porch. Others found canoes, checkbooks or toys. Jeff Janus said the tornado protected him. He was in his front yard when the storm hit, and he ran inside and grabbed his dog and cat. \"I saw people's houses flying by,\" he said. He didn't make it to the basement, but instead crouched down in the hallway, with one animal in each arm. He said the storm tore off the bedroom doors and placed them almost gently on top of him -- shielding him from falling debris. When the storm passed, he said, he spit shreds of insulation from his mouth, but he felt the doors saved him.

Slide 3: Singer focuses energy on electric car WICHITA, Kansas (AP) -- Neil Young, the rocker who provided some of the soundtrack to Vietnam-era protests, is again trying to change the world -- with his car. Neil Young wants to use his convertible as a template to make electric cars more mainstream. Young has teamed up with Johnathan Goodwin, a Wichita mechanic who has developed a national reputation for re-engineering the power units of big cars to get more horsepower but use less fuel. The two are looking to convert Young's 1959 Lincoln Continental convertible to operate on an electric battery. Ultimately, they said, they want the Continental to provide a model for the world's first affordable mass-produced electric-powered automobile. \"Johnathan and this car are going to make history,\" Young told The Wichita Eagle. \"We're going to change the world; we're going to create a car that will allow us to stop giving our wealth to other countries for petroleum.\" Young has poured about $120,000 so far into the project, Goodwin said. What's more, the prototype power system worked during a 12-mile test drive of the car last week -- albeit with a few glitches. CNN

Slide 4: PETA Holds Bikini-Clad Protest In South Charlotte May 30, 2008 CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Members of the group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA , are known for using risqué methods to bring attention to their causes. Friday morning in Ballantyne, commuters got to see the organization’s latest campaign firsthand. A woman, clothed only in a bikini, mouse ears and a tail, laid in the grass on the side of the road in a simulated glue trap. The location for the demonstration was not random. Just behind the PETA protest was the Ballantyne Resort, where Lowe’s Inc. held its annual shareholder’s meeting at the same time. PETA said it is targeting Lowe’s because while other retailers, such as Walgreen's, CVS, Rite Aid, Albertsons, and Safeway have pulled glue traps from their inventory—Lowe’s continues to sell them. So, why does PETA have a problem with glue traps? “They ensnare any small animal that crosses their path. They are absolutely indiscriminate, so mice, birds, even kittens have been caught on these. They struggle to free themselves for days until they finally starve to death,” said PETA spokesperson Cassandra Curbelo.

Slide 5: Theo Bos Million Dollar Bicycle For a million dollars you can get a bike with the lowest air resistance in the world and hopefully get a better shot at the Olympics. That's what bike manufacturer Koga is claiming for this custom ride designed for Dutch rider Theo Bos. Oddly enough, they make the claim that since it has only one speed and no brakes it is one of the most difficult bikes to ride.

Slide 6: Teacher's dad says stress led to threat to 'rip eyeballs out' of student The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 06/05/08 The father of a Clayton County biology teacher charged Wednesday with threatening a student apologized to the community for his son's actions, saying the teacher was stressed out and \"between a rock and a hard place.\" Travis Corey Heckstall, 34, was arrested Wednesday on disorderly conduct and terroristic threats charges for telling an unruly student he would \"rip your eyeballs out\" during a tirade days before the school year ended. Heckstall taught biology at Mount Zion High School since August and resigned May 30, about a week after the alleged incident, said school system spokesman Charles White. His father is state Rep. Joe Heckstall (D-East Point). Heckstall, surrounded by relatives, attended his son's first-appearance hearing Thursday in Clayton Magistrate Court. Magistrate Bobby Simmons set a $20,000 bond, which the younger Heckstall said he'd be able to post. As of late Thursday afternoon, Heckstall was still in the county jail. \"He's apologized, he's remorseful,\" the elder Heckstall said. \"He loves those kids and took them goodies all during the year. He would love to go back to teaching when this is over.\" Heckstall said his son was allegedly threatened by the male student all year and didn't feel safe in the classroom. \"There is no question this is uncharacteristic of my son, this is a situation that got out of hand,\" he said. \"He complained to the administration about the student but was told to keep it in the classroom, to deal with it there. He was caught between a rock and a hard place.\" Police said Heckstall confronted a male student May 21 after the boy threatened and cursed the teacher and disrupted the class. During the alleged incident, which police said was videotaped by other students with cellphones, students said Heckstall suddenly \"started acting crazy,\" telling the class to \"shut the [expletive] up.\" Heckstall allegedly directed his anger toward the male student, telling him he would \"rip your eyeballs out,\" urinate on him and \"kill your family,\" according to the police report. Heckstall then spat on the floor and began to apologize, police said. Heckstall told police the juvenile had a history of disciplinary problems and that he feared for his safety all year. The cellphones with the videotaped incident were confiscated by police. Chief Jeff Turner said the images were captured and copied onto a DVD and placed into evidence, and are not subject to open records requests.

Slide 7: All Indicators Point to a Softening of America's Harsh Marijuana Laws AlterNet. Posted June 3, 2008. You have to hand it to the Republican National Committee: Those guys really know how to pick the wrong fight. John McCain, already running against the public opinion grain in support of the Iraq War and Bush tax cuts, received no help from headquarters last month when the RNC made medical marijuana a campaign issue. After Barack Obama told an Oregon weekly that he would end federal raids on medical marijuana users and providers in states with compassionate use laws, the RNC pounced. Obama's position, said an RNC statement, \"reveals that (he) doesn't have the experience necessary to do the job of President (and) lacks the judgment to carry out the most basic functions of the Executive Branch.\" Because the Supreme Court has ruled that federal drug laws trump state drug laws, the RNC reasons that halting federal raids would be tantamount to ignoring the law. They're right. But the RNC might want to get some new pollsters. What they and their candidates don't seem to realize is that a steadily shrinking minority of Americans oppose the controlled medicinal use of cannabis -- around 20 percent, according to the last Gallup poll. It's a safe bet that an even smaller number considers paramilitary raids on the homes of peaceful cancer patients to be among the \"basic function of the Executive Branch.\" During the New Hampshire primary, every Democratic candidate recognized this political reality by promising to end federal harassment of state-approved medical marijuana facilities and users. Republican candidates Tom Tancredo and Ron Paul pledged the same. And John McCain? When pressed by activists from the group Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana, the Arizona senator responded in lockstep with most of his GOP peers, sounding less like a maverick than a Reagan-era after- school special. \"I do not support the use of marijuana for medical purposes,\" McCain said. \"I believe that marijuana is a gateway drug. That is my view, and that's the view of the federal drug czar and other experts.\"

Slide 8: Marijuana university offers 'higher' education Jun 3, 5:04 AM ET A private San Francisco area university dedicated to the study of the cannabis industry is giving a whole new meaning to higher education. At Oaksterdam University -- so called after the nickname locals have given to Oakland -- students learn how to grow, harvest and cook marijuana, as well as dispense it to others. The goal, say administrators, is to educate consumers about the benefits of the mind-altering plant and encourage graduates to start their own dispensaries in California, even though possession remains prohibited under federal law. The university, which is modeled on a similar school in Amsterdam, opened in November and has recently begun offering classes in Los Angeles. On a recent day, a group of students gathered in a former pharmacy in downtown Oakland for a class that included topics such as the politics of marijuana, horticulture and bud tending. Bikers with ponytails and tattoos sat next to speckled middle-aged women and took notes as a series of lecturers spoke about the history of the drug. Later, students took part in role plays about what to do if stopped by a police officer and then learned about pH balancing, drying, curing and smell abatement. At the end of the weekend-long intensive course, students took a test, which if passed, would give them a certificate they could use to get a job at a marijuana dispensary. So far 200 students have graduated and over 500 people have enrolled at the private university.

Slide 9: An archeological team, digging in Washington DC , has uncovered 10,000 year old bones and fossil remains of what is believed to be the first Politician.

Slide 10: Teacher 'wanted to be boy's sex slave' May 31, 2008 A FEMALE teacher who allegedly told a 15-year-old male student to treat her like a sex slave has been charged with sexually penetrating a child. Nazira Rafei, 25, a Melbourne high school teacher, is charged with one count of sexually penetrating a child under 16 and four counts of an indecent act with a child under 16. The incidents allegedly occurred at Roxburgh Park, in Melbourne's outer north, in February and March this year. Police also accuse the teacher of making an unwarranted demand by harassing the student last Monday not to disclose the relationship. During a brief hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday, Rafei's lawyer, Steve Pica, told the court that the case was \"likely to attract a fair degree of media attention\". \"I do want to place on the record that my client has been fully co-operative with police and is pleading not guilty,\" he said. Rafei was not required to formally enter a plea. Police allege Rafei had sexual intercourse with a child under her \"care, supervision or authority\". It is alleged that on one occasion the teacher told the student to \"treat her like a sex slave\" as she lay on top of him pinching his nipples in the back seat of her car. Another charge relates to Rafei allegedly kissing the student on his lips and touching his genitals through clothing. Two other charges relate to her allegedly hugging in a \"sexual context\" and kissing on the mouth a child under 16 in her care. Magistrate Felicity Broughton adjourned the case for committal mention on August 29. Rafei made no comment as she left court. It is the second time in two years a teacher at a Roxburgh Park school has been accused of performing sex acts on a student. In July 2006, Roxburgh College teacher Natalina D'Addario, 37, of Kensington, was sentenced to four months' jail for having sex with a 15- year-old boy.

Slide 11: Yamaha wearable motorcycle concept will likely remain just that May 23rd 2008 at 11:28AM It’s not often that you see devices huddled under the transportation and wearables categories, but you can certainly consider the above pictured contraption a proud member of each. Created by transportation design student Jake Loniak, the Yamaha Deus Ex Machina is an \"electric, single passenger, vertically parking, wearable motorcycle, and the bike would theoretically be controlled via 36 pneumatic muscles and 2 linear actuators. We're also told that it would be able to accelerate from 0 to 60 in just 3 seconds, though the top speed would be capped at 75 miles-per- hour. Ah well, at least we know the wearable airbag is actually coming, right?

Slide 12: May 29, 7:04 PM EDT Chief of staff: Army reviewing complaints over bullets HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) -- The military is reviewing soldiers' complaints that their standard ammunition isn't powerful enough for the type of fighting required in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army's highest-ranking officer said Thursday. But Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the Army chief of staff, said it was too soon to say whether the Pentagon will switch. Current and former soldiers interviewed by The Associated Press said the military's M855 rifle rounds are not powerful enough for close-in fighting in cities and towns in Iraq and Afghanistan. Speaking with reporters at a conference in Huntsville, Casey said leaders are constantly soliciting feedback from soldiers in the field and were aware of complaints about the M855 ammunition. \"To effectively prepare them we have to adapt as the enemy adapts, and that is some of the feedback we have gotten,\" Casey said. \"We'll evaluate it quickly and then we'll decide how we want to proceed.\" But Casey said it would be premature to say if the Pentagon will consider a different type of ammunition. \"I can't tell you exactly what we're going to do,\" he said. The M855 rounds were designed decades ago to puncture the steel helmets of Soviet soldiers from hundreds of yards away. Some soldiers said that they are not large enough to stop an enemy immediately in close quarters. Casey said the military has been evaluating its equipment and practices since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. \"Technology is pulling us, and what we're learning on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan is pushing us,\" he said. Associated Press.

Slide 13: May 29, 6:19 PM EDT Man accused of spraying woman's shoes with water CINCINNATI (AP) -- A woman told Cincinnati police that she heard a noise and then felt something cold on her feet. Police said a man crawled under a table at a University of Cincinnati library and used a syringe to spray saltwater onto the woman's shoes. Dwight Pannell, 43, of Columbus, was booked on charges of voyeurism, assault and criminal trespass, court records show. Pannell was silent in court a court appearance on Thursday. His attorney argued that Pannell's alleged actions didn't warrant the charges against him. The woman told officers that after she heard something coming from under her table and felt the sensation on her feet, she looked down and saw a man on his knee holding a syringe. The judge set Pannell's bond at $75,000.

Slide 14: •Calling All Copa Girls: Help find Miss Atomic Bomb Her image has come to symbolize the bizarre love affair Las Vegas had with the Bomb in the 1950s. The famous photograph of the smiling model in a mushroom cloud bathing suit with her arms outstretched to the sky remains a powerful reminder of how sex appeal and atomic energy were once inseparable Cold War ingredients. Whatever happened to Miss Atomic Bomb? That is a question Robert Friedrichs of the National Nuclear Security Administration has been working on for the last couple of years (in his spare time). Mr. Friedrichs' dedicated sleuthing has generated some impressive leads including the likely name of his subject (Lee Merlin). CONELRAD's Missing Persons Bureau has volunteered to help Mr. Friedrichs spread the word of his quest. So without further delay, here are all of the known facts about Miss Atomic Bomb: Her name is almost certainly Lee Merlin and if she is still living she is in her early seventies. A woman resembling Miss Atomic Bomb and identified as Lee Merlin appears in a Long Beach Press-Telegram photograph in the newspaper's July 25, 1953 edition. In the photograph Merlin stands between Long Beach, CA Mayor Lyman B. Sutter and Jack Arnold of the Long Beach Culinary Workers union. The article concerns the mayor’s proclamation of \"City of Hope Week\" Merlin came to Las Vegas in late 1953 or early 1954. Her first job was at the Desert Inn Hotel. She worked as a Copa Girl at the Sands Hotel (now the Venetian Hotel and Casino) from 1954 to the summer or early fall of 1957. She lived with one of her co-workers at the Bali Hai Apartments on Desert Inn Road for most of her time in Las Vegas. One of her fellow dancers, Carolyn MacMullen, recalls Merlin as \"very bookish\" with a \"dry\" sense of humor. Photographer Don English was assigned by the Las Vegas News Bureau to take a picture outside the Sands Hotel in connection with an above ground atomic test. By 1957 the repetition of the tests had inspired English to become creative in his photography on this theme. He and his colleagues designed the striking mushroom cloud that adorns the bathing suit worn by Merlin. It was constructed of cotton wadding glued to cardboard. Don English did not photograph Merlin at the exact time of the detonation. Also, the landscape behind Merlin demonstrates that the picture was taken facing east, away from the test site. Contrary to oft-repeated claims, there was no beauty contest preceding the photograph and the title \"Miss Atomic Blast\" that is sometimes associated with the picture is incorrect.

Slide 15: “This is my friend Steve, saying bye to his brother, who’s off to Iraq.”

Slide 16: \" And this is my same friend months later, at his brothers’ funeral. ………..Saying good-bye for the last time.”