An Update to a Classic

We've all seen the original list. Here is the updated version. I wish I knew who gets credit - I've enjoyed the list, and the variations, for years. And all you Hillary fans and Michigan auto workers - be sure to read to the end.



DEMOCRAT
You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being successful. You vote people into office that put a tax on your cows, forcing you to sell one to raise money to pay the tax. The people you voted for then take the tax money, buy a cow and give it to your neighbor. You feel righteous. Barbara Streisand sings for you.

REPUBLICAN
You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So?

SOCIALIST
You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor. You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.

COMMUNIST
You have two cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk. You wait in line for hours to get it. It is expensive and sour.

AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
You have two cows. The government taxes you to the point you have to sell both to support a man in a foreign country who has only one cow, which was a gift from your government.

AMERICAN BUREAUCRACY
You have two cows. The government takes them both, shoots one, milks the other, pays you for the milk, and then pours the milk down the drain.

TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM
You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.

AMERICAN CAPITALISM
You have two cows. You sell one, lease it back to yourself, and do an IPO on the 2nd cow. You force the 2 cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when they drop dead. You spin an announcement
stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses.

ENRON VENTURE CAPITALISM
You have two cows. You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that
you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are trans-ferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company. The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. Sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows. No balance sheet provided with the release. The public buys your bull.

FRENCH CAPITALISM
You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. You go to lunch. Life is good.

JAPANESE CAPITALISM
You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains. Most are at the top of their class at cow school. You create clever cow cartoon images called Cowkimon and market them worldwide.

GERMAN CAPITALISM
You have two cows. You re-engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, run a hundred miles an hour, live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves. Unfortunately they demand 13 weeks of paid vacation per year, and have their hearts set on grazing in France, Belgium, Holland, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Russia, Greece, and England.

BRITISH CAPITALISM
You have two cows. Both are mad. You make a documentary about them for BBC that nobody watches. Someone else makes a witty comedy about them and everyone watches that.

ITALIAN CAPITALISM
You have two cows, but you don't know where they are. While you are ambling around looking for them you see a beautiful woman. You break for lunch. Life is good.

RUSSIAN CAPITALISM
You have two cows. You count them and learn you have five cows. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have 12 cows. You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka. The Russian Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.

SWISS CAPITALISM
You have 5000 cows, none of which belong to you. You charge others for storing them. You charge extra for not disclosing to whom the cows belong.

INDIAN HINDU CAPITALISM
You have two cows. Your children are starving, so you pray to the cows for divine relief.

AUSTRALIAN CAPITALISM
You have two cows. Both are on the barbie. Life is good.

CHINESE CAPITALISM
You have two cows. You have 300 people milking them. You claim full employment and high bovine productivity. You arrest the newsman who reported the true numbers, execute him, and sell his organs in Hong Kong.

POLISH CAPITALISM
You have two bulls. Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.

TALIBAN CAPITALISM
You have all the cows in Afghanistan, which are two. You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's private parts. Then you kill them and claim a USbomb blew them up while they were in the hospital. Saudi Arabia pays you $100,000 for each martyred cow.

FLORIDA CAPITALISM
You have a black cow and a brown cow. Everyone votes for the best looking one. Some of the people who like the brown one best, vote for the black one. Some people vote for both. Some people vote for neither. Some people can't figure out how to vote at all. Finally, a bunch of guys from out of State tell you which is the best-looking one.

NEW YORK CAPITALISM
You have fifteen million cows. You have to choose which one will be the leader of the herd, so you pick some fat cow from Arkansas.


FORD MOTOR COMPANY
You have two cows. You send them through process improvement training on how to produce more milk, run more aerodynamically, be more physically appealing to the bulls. You make them give you a business plan and goals by day, week, month, quarter, and for the year. You make them fill out reports on how they walk to the milking stalls, eat, milking process, and how much they produce each day. They get so stressed out they stop producing milk. You send them back for more meetings on milk production.

Animal Rights People are Crazy

Out of Spokane, Washington:

A pet rabbit named Sugar Bunny was stolen from a preschool and fliers protesting circus animal acts were left in its empty cage.

The preschool’s children gathered in a circle Monday to remember Sugar Bunny.

“We talked about how some people have different ideas about animals,” said teacher Lori Peters. “Some people don’t think they should be in cages.”

[...]

The fliers expressed protests against the Ringling Brothers Circus, which was in town during the weekend, and had a picture of a bear trying to escape from a cage. The fliers bore the names of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Northwest Animal Rights Network.

Isn't that lovely? Stealing the pet of a classroom of 4-year olds... another low for PETA.

Don't You Dare Call

Ah, the lovely DO NOT call me and screw up my dinner or wake up my baby because I'm going to tell you off and not buy your crappy product or service anyway list is set to expire soon.

Numbers placed on the registry, begun in June 2003, are valid for five years. For the millions of people who signed onto the list in its early days, their numbers will automatically drop off beginning next June if they do not enroll again.

While the Federal Trade Commission, the government entity overseeing this list, says it is no big deal to re-register, some legislators are actually doing something worthwhile and valuable and pondering making every number on this list expiration-free.

"When someone takes the time and effort to say 'I don't want these kinds of calls coming into my house,' they shouldn't have to keep a calendar to find out when they have to re-up to keep this nuisance from happening," [Rep. Mike] Doyle [D-PA] said in an interview.

The FTC built the five-year expiration date into the program to account for changes, such as people who move and switch their phone number, [FTC Spokesperson Lydia] Parnes said.

Doyle, however, points out that the list is purged each month of numbers that have been disconnected and reassigned to new customers.

Remember you can register (or re-register next year) your numbers at www.donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222.

Federal Prosecutor Arrested in Sex Sting

Right here in Metro Detroit:

A federal prosecutor flew to metro Detroit with a Dora the Explorer doll, hoop earrings and petroleum jelly for a 5-year-old he planned to have sex with, police say.

John David Roy Atchison -- who prosecutes civil and criminal matters as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern Florida District -- appeared on the other side of the law Monday in Detroit federal court. Atchison, 53, of Gulf Breeze, Fla., was charged with enticement of a minor using the Internet and knowingly traveling interstate to engage in illicit sex.

According to court documents, during an Internet chat with an undercover officer, Atchison described himself as "very much a family man." He initiated the online chat Aug. 29 with the officer posing as a mother interested in letting men have sex with her children.

During continuous conversations, he expressed a desire to engage in oral, vaginal and anal sex with her fictitious daughter. Money was not part of the discussion.

In the chats, he also suggested he previously had sex with minors.

[...]

Atchison, who is married and has children, boarded a Continental flight that left Pensacola, Fla., at 9:10 a.m. Sunday with a layover in Houston. He then changed planes, leaving Texas for Detroit Metro Airport and arriving at 4:52 p.m., where he was taken into custody without incident about eight minutes later.

Atchison's arrest was part of an undercover sex sting on behalf of the FBI Macomb Office and the Macomb County Sheriff's Office collaborating in the Macomb Area Computer Enforcement Team, also known as M.A.C.E.

"Nothing surprises us anymore," Sheriff Mark Hackel said Monday.

Besides working for the government in the Pensacola office, Atchison also serves as the president of the Gulf Breeze Sports Association, which includes youth athletics such as soccer and T-ball. Messages left at Atchison's home were not returned Monday. A person who answered the phone at the association said the board probably would release a statement today.

Wow!

This is worth two minutes of your time. Just click the link:


Animator vs. Animation by *alanbecker on deviantART

Medical Miracle

If you are a pro football fan, you have heard about the devastating spinal cord injury sustained by Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett. On Monday, his doctors reported that "a best-case scenario is full recovery, but not likely" and went on to explain that he would not walk again. Plus he could easily die from blood clots, respiratory failure, or infection.

Then yesterday, promising news. Everett's sedation levels were lowered, and he was able to voluntarily move his arms and legs. Dr. Barth Green, chairman of the department of neurological surgery at the University of Miami School of Medicine, had this to say:

Based on our experience, the fact that he's moving so well, so early after such a catastrophic injury means he will walk again. It's totally spectacular, totally unexpected.

I believe prayers from around the nation will help Kevin Everett, so be sure to pray for this young man.

But I was also amazed at the medical science that gives this man hope to walk again.

ESPN reports that Dr. Andrew Cappuccino ran an ice-cold saline solution through Everett's system, putting the injured player in a hypothermic state. Dr. Green from U of Miami hadn't seen such positive results before.

We've been doing a protocol on humans and having similar experiences for many months now, but this is the first time I'm aware of that the doctor was with the patient when he was injured and the hypothermia was started within minutes of the injury. We know the earlier it's started, the better.

Basically, Dr. Cappuccino's quick action reduced spinal cord damage from swelling and movement. He also repaired a break between the third and fourth vertebrae and also alleviated the pressure on the spinal cord. He wasn't able to repair all the damage, though, and Everett has a long road ahead of him - just staying alive in the short-term, and learning to walk again in the long-term.

It is amazing - here is a highly-conditioned professional athlete, running faster than fast on his special teams play, who bonks helmets with an opposing player on a typical tackle (no cheap shots from either side) and suddenly can't even walk.

But he is alive, and we are witnessing a miracle now that this man may, indeed walk again someday.

We Suck

I was over at Jimmy's blog, The Conservative UAW Guy, saw this, and blatantly ripped it off and posted it here:



Click the video - it is brief and really funny.

A high school student who tricked football fans from a crosstown rival into holding up signs that together spelled out, "We Suck," has been suspended for the prank, students said.

Kyle Garchar, a senior at Hilliard Davidson High School in suburban Columbus, said he spent about 20 hours over three days plotting the trick, which was captured on video and posted on the video-sharing website YouTube.

Too bad they reward such ingenuity with a suspension. And right at the beginning of the school year. The principal better watch out during the graduation ceremony in several months.

Out of Washington state:

Two pit bull terriers broke into a house through a pet door Tuesday and attacked a woman in her bed, mauling her badly, a Pierce County sheriff's spokesman said.

The woman was able to grab a gun and try to shoot the dogs, then break away from the attack and lock herself in her car, where she called 911, sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

[...]

Officers planned to talk to the dogs' owner.

Ya think?

Firefighters responded first, locking the dogs in the house, treating the woman and calling for an ambulance.

Officers "had to pepper spray and fight the dogs until they were detained. We almost had to shoot them on site," Troyer said.

Why not pull out the 12 gauge and get rid of them? What is the deal? They maul a lady, kill other animals, then the cops have to pepper spray them? Give me a break.

Sportsman's Day at the Capitol

For those readers who are Michigan residents:

Sportsman's Day at the Capitol is Wednesday, September 19, 2007. The event runs from 10am to 1pm and will be held in the State Capitol Building in Lansing, showcasing showcases the tradition, heritage and legacy of Michigan Sportsmen and Sportswomen. Everyone is welcome. Except GFWs and animal-"rights" protesters.

From the "I Am a Buffoon" Files

That's a lot of work for two rolls of change:

A man accused of being the “Duct Tape Bandit” has gotten into a sticky situation.

The man, who had his head wrapped in duct tape to conceal his identity, walked into a liquor store on Friday, Ashland police said.

Shamrock Liquors store manager Bill Steele had some duct tape of his own, but his was wrapped around a wooden club that sent the robber fleeing, according to a report by WSAZ-TV in Huntington, W.Va.

Store employee Craig Miller said he chased the man to the parking lot, tackled him and held him in a choke hold until police arrived. A customer also helped, police said.

Kasey G. Kazee, 24, of Ashland, was charged with first-degree robbery, according to Ashland Police Sgt. Mark McDowell.

Kazee, in an interview with the TV station, denied he was the bandit who robbed the store of two rolls of change. He pleaded not guilty Monday and bond was set at $250,000.

Stop Crying Wolf

Stuff like this just leaves me shaking my head.

After cries of racism from some protesters, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy defended the prosecution of two black teenagers in the shooting death of a 38-year-old white woman.

"No charging decision in this office is ever made based on the victim or defendant's race, religion or ethnicity," Worthy said in a statement Monday afternoon.

For those of you who hail from areas other than Detroit, Kym Worthy first gained widespread attention in the early 1990s when she tried White cops accused of viciously beating a Black man named Malice Green, a man who died from his injuries. She succeeded in her prosecution efforts. She also held a Recorders Court position as a judge, which she surrendered to become the first Black person, and the first woman, to become Wayne County Prosecutor.

In other words, she wouldn't push the case if it were racist.

One punk was involved in an argument on July 30 in the city of Taylor, a community just south of Detroit. He, according to prosecutors, fired a gun into a crowd, killing an innocent bystander. The other punk is charged accessory after the fact to a felony.

Of course, there was a rally to declare these alleged felons were victims of racism.

The rally was publicized by controversial Detroit activist Adolph Mongo, who said in a statement that the defendants were victims of racism in a city where "locking up black men is a hobby for many white cops." Mongo did not return repeated phone calls seeking further explanation of his claims.

[...]

Ray Paige, the attorney for [the indicted shooter] said that his client was misidentified by police and possibly beaten. Paige would not offer further details.

That is a serious allegation. Beaten by the cops? You'd better have evidence to substantiate that one.

Taylor police did not comment Monday, but Worthy defended them: "In this case there is no evidence of misconduct by the Taylor Police Department -- in fact the opposite is true. They continue to investigate this case and on their own (are) discovering new evidence."

Of course, the accused are simply sweethearts.

Paige and Brown described their clients as decent student athletes on their way to college in the fall. [The accessory] plans to attend Kentucky State University, and [the shooter] is to head to Rock Valley College in Illinois, their attorneys said.

That may be true, but it doesn't mean they aren't guilty.

This stuff ticks me off on several different levels, but let me address only one facet: crying wolf happens everywhere, and it is ruining the country. If you cry "racist" often enough when it isn't true, people won't believe you when you cry it out in a true situation. When you cry "police brutality" falsely, people close their minds to the fact it may happen.

We aren't arguing about some White cop writing a suspect traffic ticket to a minority - we are talking about a murder.

I generally stand with the police. I do so because I have observed with my own eyes that most cops are genuinely working hard, and with valor, to make our communities safer. I may not always agree with their position (gun control is often a sore spot), but I have no question their hearts are in the right place. The police officers I know well are upstanding professionals and care about doing their job the right way every time.

But at the same time, I've seen a few bad apples, and I know that not every officer falls into the "good" category. I also know that the police are law enforcement officers nowadays, no longer peace officers. That means, they enforce the laws of the state - which may not be Constitutional or just. So I know abuses happen from time-to-time.

Every time someone cries wolf, a good cop is tarnished and a bad cop is in better position to get away with bad actions.

Bear Is Innocent Until Proven Guilty

I don't watch much television, but Man vs. Wild was one show I'd stop and watch eagerly. For the uninitiated, the show features Edward "Bear" Grylls, a former British Special Air Services member, and youngest man to climb Mt. Everest - and live. The series features Bear being dropped by parachute into some of the most inhospitable places on earth (the Amazon, the Chugach Mountain Range in Alaska, etc.). He then shows viewers how to survive.

A two-person camera crew are the only people that follow him, and they have instructions to not help him in any way unless he runs into a life/death situation.

I always knew the show wasn't exactly what it claimed to be, in that they had to stage certain actions for production value. No biggie. But according to the BBC, the show is basically a fraud. If these allegations prove true, I'll feel like a kid who just learned pro wrestling is fake. I love the show and Bear is a cool guy with a likable personality.

Born Survivor featured British adventurer Bear Grylls dealing with "perilous situations" in the wild.

But a crew member told the Sunday Times some nights were spent in hotels.

[...]

American survival consultant Mark Weinert, who was recruited by Diverse Productions, told the paper Grylls claimed to be stranded on a desert island on one occasion.

However, he was actually in Hawaii and spent some of his time there in a motel, Mr Weinert alleged.

Another time, he added, Grylls was filmed building a raft by himself, whereas the crew had actually put it together and dismantled it beforehand, to ensure that it worked.

And in a further episode, supposedly "wild" horses rounded up by Grylls had come from a local trekking facility, he claimed.

Channel 4 [the UK station airing Man vs. Wild] said in a statement that Born Survivor was "not an observational documentary series, but a 'how-to' guide to basic survival techniques in extreme environments".

"The programme explicitly does not claim that presenter Bear Grylls' experience is one of unaided solo survival.

"For example, he often directly addresses the production team, including the cameraman, making it clear he is receiving an element of back-up."

The broadcaster said Grylls carried out his own stunts and did place himself in perilous situations, "though he does so within clearly-observed health and safety guidelines required on productions of this kind".

"However, we take any allegations of misleading our audiences seriously and will be looking into this further with Diverse over the next few days."

Bear is innocent until proven guilty, and I hope evidence comes out that exonerates him soon.

Detroit - 40 Years Later

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the infamous Detroit riot of 1967.

There are a lot of things I can write about it, but I really can't add much to the historical record.

I don't remember too much about the riot - I was too young to pay much attention. Sure, I knew something was up because I couldn't go outside - and it was summertime in the 60s, so I spent most of my time outside. Stray gunshot fire also gave me a clue something bad was afoot, but pre-riot, I was actually much more worried about the Soviet Union invading than my city erupting in violence. Remember that Red Threat? It scared the stuffing out of me. Walking through the city? It didn't. Sure, there were areas to avoid, but life wasn't scary in Detroit.

In many ways, Detroit never recovered. Certainly, the Murder City title from the 70s and 80s didn't help, nor did the infamous Devil's Night fires in the late 80s and early 90s. While the riot was not a race riot in technical terms (Whites and Blacks didn't fight each other, and members of all races took place in the looting), Detroit kept it's reputation to this day as a racially hateful and dangerous city ever since. While Detroit isn't the safest place in the world, I think the vast majority of the "danger" hype is just that - hype.

I hear a lot of talk about Detroit as a washed-up city, and I can understand it - but there is no reason to remain chained to the nasty part of our history. Detroit was also the Motor City, literally helping the world grow up with the production of the automobile. Detroit was the manufacturing center of the US during World War II, producing for the war effort, and a large contributor to the success of our GIs. Detroit was a leader in economic development after the war. Then we lost it all, because we lost two traits: forgiveness, and self-responsibility. The city failed when people (of all races) tossed these traits by the wayside. These traits, alive and well and exhibited in the thoughts, plans and actions in a future generation, can make the city great once again.

What are You?

I saw this on Patrick's site, Born Again Redneck Yogi, and couldn't resist clicking. I am a libertarian conservative, or in fancier language, an anti-government gunslinger (although I'm not anti-government, I'm simply anti-unconstitutional government).

My Conservative Identity:

You are an Anti-government Gunslinger, also known as a libertarian conservative. You believe in smaller government, states’ rights, gun rights, and that, as Reagan once said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

Take the quiz at www.FightLiberals.com

This is no surprise. Many, many years ago - before the dawn of daily Internet use (GASP! - it used to be the exclusive domain of scientists and the military) - I took The World's Smallest Political Quiz. It may be hard for today's youth to believe this, but we used to read and write things on paper.

Anyways, I haven't changed too much. This is what I was classified as:

Shark Week

My favorite week of television kicks off on July 29 - the Discovery Channel's Shark week!

Sharks scare the stuffing out of me. I can watch them on TV with no fear, but in the salt water - yikes! The thought of sharks munching me for dinner is just a scary thought, one that I'd never considered until I saw JAWS back in the 70's. Speilberg's classic movie scared me so bad, I didn't even want to swim in a pool.

But in spite of my shark phobia, I am plain interested in the creatures. They are amazingly diverse, and I have a great time learning about them - and watching footage of them eating something other than me.

Back when I was new scuba diver, I went diving with some buddies. About 15 minutes into it, sharks swam by. I mean, real close. While I focused on bladder control, my buddies (all more experienced in diving) took it all in. After we surfaced, they whooped and hollered about how awesome the experience was. One had been diving for 15 years and never had seen a shark during his dives. Me, I could dive forever, not see a shark, and be happy. When those two sharks, both bigger than my car, passed by at spitting distance, well, those were among the most spiritual moments in my life. I can't recall many times when praying harder.

Anyways, Shark Week always has great programming. I can't wait for the end of the month!

No Bull

A Spanish man who took his 10-year-old son bull running during the annual Pamplona festival last week has had his visitation rights to the boy taken away by a judge.

The youngster's mother complained to police after seeing a newspaper photograph of her ex-husband leading their son by the arm just a few feet in front of the bulls, El Mundo reported on Tuesday.

A member of the mother's family said they didn't want the boy to lose touch with his father, but added the man needed to be taught a lesson.

"We want him to get a warning, so that he realizes that his main duty is to look after the boy's well-being," the relative said.

The judge in the town of Fuenlabrada, south of Madrid, ordered police to find the boy, who had been spending his holidays with his father, and return him to his mother immediately.

New Michigan Predator

During the 70's, Dutch Elm disease ate away the trees on my parents' property. Then the Emerald Ash Borer ate up my ash trees a few years ago. Now Michigan has a new invasive pest - just north of Detroit. It isn't pandemic - but it looks like it might be a giant pain in the backside.


PLEASE NOTE: This press release was issued jointly by the Michigan Departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture.

July 16, 2007

The Michigan departments of Agriculture (MDA) and Natural Resources (DNR), along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), today announced the confirmation of Sirex Woodwasp in Macomb County. A single specimen was collected from a trap on July 6 and later identified by the USDA.

Sirex Woodwasp is a wood-boring insect native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa and is a potentially serious pest of commercially produced pine trees. It was first detected in North America in Oswego, N.Y. in 2004, and has since been found throughout central New York, northern Pennsylvania, and southern Ontario.

The larvae of this exotic pest are responsible for damaging the tree. It severs the trees' conductive tissues, interrupting the transport of water and nutrients. Adult females lay their eggs in two- and three-needled pine trees, including: Austrian, jack, red, and Scotch pines.

"At this point, we don't know whether this is part of an established Michigan infestation," said MDA Director Mitch Irwin. "We don't anticipate this pest to have a major economic impact on the state's nursery, landscape and Christmas tree industries. We will, however, vigorously monitor this exotic pest and its potential to impact our forest systems."

The trap is one of more than 250 trapping locations established throughout Michigan through a cooperative effort that includes the USDA, MDA, DNR, Michigan Technological University and Michigan State University. This work is part of an international effort to delimit the extent of the infestation in North America.

"Since the Sirex find in New York we have been monitoring Michigan's pine resource," said DNR Director Rebecca A. Humphries. "The network of traps and trap trees established across Michigan will provide excellent data. This information will be used by the workgroup to assess and develop a pro-active response."

Sirex Woodwasp is not expected to significantly impact healthy landscape pine trees in the state. Its impact on vigorous, well managed pine plantations in Michigan, while not yet fully defined, is likewise not anticipated to be severe.

For more information on this pest, please visit www.aphis.usda.gov.

Bizarre

Courtesy of the AP - a truly bizarre story

Police on Capitol Hill are baffled by an attempted robbery that began with a handgun put to the head of a 14-year-old girl and ended in a group hug.

It started around midnight on June 16 when a group of friends was finishing dinner on the patio of a District of Columbia home, authorities and witnesses said. That’s when a hooded man slid through an open gate and pointed a handgun at the girl’s head.

“Give me your money, or I’ll start shooting,” he said, the witnesses told the Washington Post.

Everyone froze, they said, but then one guest spoke up.

“We were just finishing dinner,” Cristina Rowan, 43, told the man. “Why don’t you have a glass of wine with us?”

The intruder had a sip of their Chateau Malescot St-Exupery and said, “Damn, that’s good wine.”

The girl’s father, Michael Rabdau, 51, told him to take the whole glass, and Rowan offered him the bottle. The would-be robber, with his hood down, took another sip and a bite of Camembert cheese and put the gun in his sweatpants.

Then the story got even more bizarre.

The man with the gun apologized, the witnesses told the Post.

“I think I may have come to the wrong house,” he said. “Can I get a hug?”

Rowan stood up and wrapped her arms around the man and the four other guests followed.

The man walked away a few moments later with the crystal wine glass in hand. No one was hurt, but once he was gone, the group went inside, locked the door and called 911.

Police said Friday that the case was strange but true. Investigators have not located a suspect.

“We’ve had robbers that apologize and stuff, but nothing where they sit down and drink wine,” Cmdr. Diane Groomes said. “The only good thing is they would be able to identify him because they hugged them.”

Safe Campuses?

Feeling safe - is not actual safety. I am amazed at the lengths colleges and universities go to so everyone can "feel" safe.

The Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents voted unanimously, by telephone, to fire President John Fallon. His termination -- two years into a 5-year contract -- comes on the heels of a report that blasted EMU officials for their handling of a student's death in December.

The U.S. Department of Education report said the university failed to alert the public of the rape and killing of Laura Dickinson, and that it violated federal law by underreporting and misreporting other crimes on campus since 2003. It was roughly 10 weeks before EMU announced that there may have been foul play in Dickinson's death on Dec. 15.

A fellow student has been arrested and charged. His trial is set to begin in October.

Nunatak

Nunatak rehearsing for the Live Earth Concert

Photo © Wikipedia and NPR.

Here is some fun trivia from Wikipedia:

Nunatak is the British Antarctic Survey’s Rothera Research Station’s house band. The five person indie rock band is part of a science team investigating climate change and evolutionary biology on the Antarctic Peninsula.

On 7 July 2007 as part of Live Earth, Nunatak played to a sell out crowd of 17 (the entire population of the BAS research station Rothera) making up the Seventh Continent contingent of the Live Earth concerts. Lead singer Matt Balmer, 22, said of the event that the band "expected to spend our Antarctic winter here at Rothera quietly getting on with our work and maybe performing at the occasional Saturday night party. We could never have imagined taking part in a global concert."

The band's name is the Greenlandic word for a mountain top protruding from an ice sheet.