I don't want to create problems for anyone, but $221,000 seems like an awfully big chunk of stimulus money to go to a psychiatrist's office (Christopher Spaulding PSY.D). [Source] Recovery.gov states that the purpose of the loan was: TO ASSIST SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS BY PROVIDING LONG TERM FINANCING THROUGH THE SALE OF DEBENTURES TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR and also says … Read More
NY: No To Gay Marriage
The New York State Senate just voted against legalizing same-sex marriage in a 34-28 vote. It had previously passes the NY Assembly 88-51. New York would have become the sixth state, and the most populous, to allow same-sex couples to get married. And it would have been the first to grant full marriage rights from a standing start, without having first granted … Read More
New Laws Which Take Effect Today In NC
Let's take a quick look at some of the new laws which take effect today in North Carolina. The big one is, of course, no texting while driving. Now, don't think you can be cute about this. But no, it applies to emailing, too. In fact it applies to any time you "manually enter multiple letters or text in the device … Read More
Foxx’s Latest Stupid Statements
During a debate on the House floor today over designating 21 miles of the Molalla River as "wild and scenic," Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), who opposes the legislation, tried to claim a progressive environmental record for her party. "Actually, the GOP has been the leader in starting good environmental programs in this country," said Foxx. She didn't say what those … Read More
Flight 1549 3D Reconstruction
This is pretty amazing, especially the matter-of-fact tone to everyone's transmissions:
Breaking News: More Mass Shootings
In downtown Orlando (Gateway Center, if that means anything to you). Live local news video fee here. 8 shooting victims. Shooter not caught. 1:06 pm — Interviewed woman says it was a male disgruntled (fired) co-worker of hers. Police stopped the interview though. 1:44 pm — Suspect's name is Jason Rodriguez. He's on the loose, driving a silver Nissan SUV. … Read More
Shooting At Fort Hood: Seven Twelve Dead, Twelve Twenty 31 Injured
Story breaking now. Fort Hood hash tweet stream is here. It's possibly too soon to say this, but the NRA argument that if everyone is armed, everyone is safe, is pretty much belied by the fact this incident at an army base. UPDATE: 2 to 3 suspected shooters involved, reportedly wearing U.S. Army uniforms (although this doesn't mean they are … Read More
High Turnout In Maine Elections Today
So reports Politico. Conventional wisdom is that this is good for the "No on 1" side.
Virginia Foxx (R-NC): Still Fearmongering on Health Care
Her past hits include: Health care reform means that Americans will be "put to death by their government." "There are no Americans who don’t have healthcare. Everybody in this country has access to healthcare.." Today, on the floor of the House, Rep. Virginia Foxx rolled out another song to complete the crazy con hyperbole fear trilogy — a little ditty called "I … Read More
BREAKING: Obama Signs Matthew Shepard/James Byrd Hate Crimes Legislation
Actually the Hate Crimes bill was tacked on to the 2009 Defense Appropriations Act, which Obama signed this afternoon, but it's still there, and Obama noted the significance of it: So today I'm pleased to say that we have proved that change is possible. It may not come quickly, or all at once, but if you push hard enough, it … Read More
RENT at Theatre Alliance
I realized this morning that 1,000 people have either seen RENT at Theatre Alliance, or have bought tickets to see it. That's damn impressive. I'm not plugging it — it doesn't need plugging, but if you are in the Triad, you really don't want to miss it. Info in the right column….. Rent at ArtsFest 2009 from Ken Ashford on … Read More
An Opening Paragraph We Didn’t Particularly Enjoy Reading
From the Boston Herald: RALEIGH, N.C. — Twenty murderers, rapists and robbers sentenced to life in North Carolina prisons in the 1970s will be released at the end of October as a result of recent court rulings. Why? Well, basically it comes down to this. These murderers, rapists, and robberts were sentenced to life in prison in the 1970s as … Read More
Falcon Heene
I have a rather bad feeling about this boy trapped in the balloon. I have a rather bad feeling he is not hiding, but rather, he fell. And we're going to get all kinds of people making snap judgments about how bad the parents were — before we have any clear evidence that they were negligent. To blunt those, let … Read More
Here’s A Halloween Hootenanny For Ya!
Instead of trick-or-treating, how about piling those kids in the pick-up truck and taking a trip down the road to Canton, NC (near Asheville)? Here's what you can expect (image from their website): [NOTE: The website has been changed recently to include a burning fire background, rendering this page virtually unreadable. Still, the text shown here remains the same.] From … Read More