Posts Tagged “Hurricane Ike”
- It appears the Republicans are ready to play hardball in the final month of the presidential campaign, as vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin defended a claim Sunday that Barack Obama "pals around with terrorists"–a reference to his one-time association with a former leader of the radical anti-war group Weather Underground, who is now a University Of Illinois professor. As Palin put it, "the heels are on and the gloves are off"–they must give her better traction, since she’s obviously used to stepping into moose doo before…
 Jurors who convicted OJ Simpson Saturday of all 12 armed robbery and kidnapping charges he faced say secret audio tapes and surveillance video were what convinved them, and not the testimony of witnesses who were given plea deals. I’d say The Juice was smart not to take the stand–they might have decided to find him guilty of stuff he wasn’t even charged with…- The Supreme Court will open its new term Monday with a case concerning whether federal regulation of cigarettes can prevent smokers from suing tobacco companies under a state law for deceptive advertising of "light" cigarettes. The case boils down to whether federal laws covering labeling and advertising trumps any state law on cigarette advertising– and whether the tobacco company’s lawyers’ suits are more expensive than the plaintiff’s entire legal team…
 The American Academy Of Pediatrics is warning parents that children younger than 5 should not keep pets like hamsters, baby chicks, lizards, turtles or hedgehogs due to risks that these animals might pose from disease–and that they may be more prone to bite or claw than cats or dogs. Of course, ER physicians have been cautioning against the same thing for years–only it’s to adults who keep shoving them inside their rectums…- An Associated Press investigation has revealed that Hurricane Ike’s winds and waves destroyed oil platforms, tossed storage tanks and punctured pipelines, and the environmental damage from it is only now becoming apparent: at least a half-million barrels of crude oil have spilled into the Gulf Of Mexico and the marshes and bayous of Louisiana and Texas. At least there’s a good reason for why gas stations in the South keep running out…
- A new Rhode Island law will require all public middle and high schools to teach students about dating violence in health classes–the result of an intitiative by the parents of a young daughter who died due to an abusive relationship with her boyfriend. It becomes the first state to inisist that schools teach about it–and likely the first step in helping to put a stop to it…
Tags: American Academy of Pediatrics, Associated Press, Barack Obama, Hurricane Ike, OJ Simpson, Rhode Island, Sarah Palin, smoking, Supreme Court
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- President Bush spoke to the nation Wednesday night, telling Americans and lawmakers that the failure to pass his $700 billion financial rescue plan could wipe out retirement savings, increase foreclosures, cost us jobs and businesses and even, "a long and painful recession". But what happens when we sink our government into unprecedented debt to aid a largely greedy industry–I believe that’s regression…
- The president has also brought in both John McCain and Barack Obama for negotiations to seal the deal on his rescue plan, on which Congress is reportedly close to agreement. He’s either looking for both national party leaders to convince their respective members to support it, or someone else to blame it on…
- More interesting revelations have surfaced about vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, as the grainy video below from the summer of 2005 shows her being blessed by a Kenyan pastor who prayed for her protection from "witchcraft":
 Perhaps Palin thought even then that she would have to compete with Hillary Clinton…
- Hurricane Ike is being blamed for NASA’s decision to postpone a shuttle mission to the Hubble Telescope next month–but the delay is a minor one of just four days. The hurricane cost the crew a week of training time, which is crucially important to make up–apparently they need some practice focusing…
- A new study reports that senior citizens are not embracing the use of generic drugs–as long as someone else is picking up the tab. The research found that seniors favor brand name drugs when their insurer covers them, but generic varieties when they’re the ones responsible for payment–which explains why Grandpa only wants coffee when he’s buying, but filet mignon when I am…
 Federal prosecutors say they will prove that Barry Bonds’ personal trainer supplied him with steroids in November 2000–the offseason prior to Bonds’ record-setting 73 home runs. It is crucial evidence to prove Bonds lied to a grand jury in 2003–which should only be slightly tougher to do than prove he’s an arrogant, egotistical jerk…
Tags: Ba, Barack Obama, Barry Bonds, Congress, financial bailout, Hubble Telescope, Hurricane Ike, John McCain, NASA, President Bush, Sarah Palin
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- Congressional leaders say they will act quickly on a plan from Fed chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to buy up bad mortgages and other investments that are putting banks and other financial institutions in danger of collapse. Of course, now that the price tag is somewhere just south of a trillion bucks, that seems about as smart a re-election move as admitting you’re a distant relative of Osama bin Laden…
 Nearly a week after Hurricane Ike struck south Texas, Houston is beginning to return to normal with electricity restored to nearly a million homes and traffic returning to normal–but Galveston Island remains closed and residents ordered to stay away while officials struggle to get just basic services restored. I can’t help but think of that classic Glen Campbell song: "Galveston, oh Galveston…I am so afraid my house is floating…" (watch out–audio is old and scratchy!)- The American Medical Association and the American Academy Of Pediatrics, along with twenty other medical groups, say public confidence in vaccine safety must be restored , amid reports of measles outbreaks at a 10-year high and a quarter of all toddlers not sufficiently immunized. The primary reason is that some parents fear that they cause autism–which is about as likely (to them, I’m sure) that they also cause homosexuality…
  A new poll has found that support for a California constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage is fading and now trails by a 17-point margin. I believe there are two major reasons–one, that Ellen DeGeneres has done it, and Anne Heche hasn’t… Federal law enforcement officials say former congressman Mark Foley likely won’t face charges for all those inappropriate emails and instant messages he sent to underaged pages. That may seem like another politician getting a break from the law, but I think the fact that Foley is now a political zero has probably punished him worse than any fine or jail time…- New Jersey’s attorney general has ordered an end to plea-bargains for teenagers ticketed for driving offenses, saying it undermines the state’s graduated license program–which mandates an improvement program for those offenders before a standard license is issued. It could have unforseen economic consequences–too many teens without cars could wipe out the Paramus Mall…
Tags: autism, Ben Bernanke, California, Financial meltdown, Galveston, gay marriage, health care, Henry Paulson, Houston, Hurricane Ike, Mark Foley, New Jersey
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- Hurricane Ike took its toll on Cuba, causing over a million people to evacuate and avoid damaging winds that knocked down buildings as well as utility poles. Despite weakening from a Category 3 to 1 Tuesday, forecasters expect it to gain intensity as it enters the Gulf and heads for the US southeast–just call it another gift from Fidel Castro…
- In a speech Tuesday, President Bush will announce plans to pull out another 8,000 troops from Iraq by February–a far fewer number and over a longer time interval than expected, which reportedly reflects a desire by the administration and military to not jeopardize recent security gains. Have you noticed a direct relationship between Iraq’s security and our insecurity?
- Secretary Of State Condoleeza Rice says that the nation needs more black diplomats to reflect America’s ethnic makeup. I’m guessing she’s just really desperate to learn how to dance to Low…
- The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the research arm of the auto insurance industry, is recommending that states raise the age for getting a driver’s license to 17 or 18, noting that auto accidents are the leading cause of deaths among teenagers. Not only are teens complaining, but many of their parents too–I mean, the nerve of anyone suggesting I can’t just turn over my 2-ton SUV death machine to a totally inexperienced and thrill-seeking offspring so I won’t have to miss another episode of Dancing With The Stars…(to view/download the IIHS report in PDF format, click here…)
- A group from a small Alabama town is working to encourage Jews to move there, offering a $50,000 incentive–money they wouldn’t have to repay if they got involved in the local temple and stayed at least 5 years. It’s an ambitious plan, and defintiely an upgrade over previous efforts–tickets to the local production of Fiddler On The Roof…
- MSNBC will replace Keith Olbermann
 and Chris Matthews  as co-anchors of political night coverage with veteran NBC political reporter David Gregory, in light of concerns that the two cable network talk show hosts and their opinions were better suited in commentator roles. Not such a surprise, really–these two have all the impartiality of Pat Robertson at an interfaith celebration…
Tags: Chris Matthews, Condoleeza Rice, Cuba, David Gregory, Fidel Castro, Hurricane Ike, Iraq, Keith Olbermann, MSNBC, President Bush
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Life is returning to Galveston after Hurricane Ike, despite 
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