In yet another instance of school violence in the country, a 15 year old high school boy has been confirmed to be murdered at a bus stop on school grounds earlier today. The boy was a student at University High School in Orlando, FL and earlier in the day had gotten into an argument with [...]

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For quite some time, there’s been a movement afoot to get you to buy farmed salmon. They tell you that because they’re farmed, it’s better for the environment. It’s also much less expensive. This is all very cool, don’t you think? The fish are farmed in huge floating net-pens, and you can get a salmon [...]

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Democrats Criticize the Nonexistent Bush Tax Cut By Mark Butler It is ironic that President Bush and the Republican party are criticized routinely by Democrats for a tax cut that benefited the rich when in reality the rich saw their tax burden increase over what it was in 2000. The Tax Foundation recently published an [...]

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The body of legendary US pilot James B. McGovern Jr., known to his friends as “Earthquake McGoon”, will be transported back to US soil for a military funeral later this week bringing closure for his friends and family who have waited patiently for this day to arrive for over 50 years. The pilot first got [...]

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— OffStumped For All Things Right of Center, Bringing a Right of Centre Reality Check to Indian Politics, News Media Reporting and Opinion through Blogs and Podcasts. —   The hanging of Mohammad Afzal Gooru convicted for his role in the 2001 terrorist attack on Parliament has been put off until a decision is reached on his [...]

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It is amazing to me what the mainstream media and supposed conventional wisdom of the day will try to convince women is true. Judging by the average relationship book, dating column or TV commercial, one might assume that men only like one type of woman and are only interested in one thing when it comes [...]

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A new Brookings Institution study has found that self-esteem is correlated with good school performance within countries, but inversely related to school performance between countries. That is, for example, Japanese kids have lower self-esteem and higher scores than American kids do, but within America or within Japan, the kids with the highest scores also have [...]

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More on the “it’s newsworthy because it’s hypocrisy!” front: In the lead to this story about 125 people arrested for child pornography, the AP felt the need to pinpoint a Bible camp counselor and a Boy Scout leader. The only other person mentioned in the article is a “pharmaceutical researcher.” Out of 125 perverts, they [...]

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Sting has released an album of album of lute music, citing as his reason that rock music today has come to a standstill. The album may or may not be any good, but the argument doesn’t hold water. First of all, Sting writes his own rock songs. That’s why he left The Police; the band [...]

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I’ve long held the opinion that the media cares about itself far more than the public cares about it. This isn’t surprising in and of itself, but what is surprising is that editors cannot recognize this bias and correct for it. Thus Drudge’s headline today: PEACOCK AT SLAUGHTER; NEW ROUND OF JOB CUTS HITS NETWORK [...]

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The 700-mile, multi-billion dollar U.S.-Mexican border fence mistakenly approved by Congress is being used as election year propaganda by the GOP.  Now is seems that some of the billions authorized to build the fence will be used for new roads and “tactical infrastructure” to support a “virtual fence” among other things.   What’s sad about this [...]

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AUSTIN, Texas–Is there a football fan in America who wouldn’t cheer if games weren’t disrupted by television timeouts?That television owns football is undeniable. In the Big 12 Conference there are 14 television timeouts per game, even in ones not televised. In making a travesty of the game by stopping the action just to run commercials [...]

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French Court Rules in Favor of TV Station in Al-Durah Affair To like like a bulletin… Or a television station. It’s an old phrase, current in the early 19th century among Napoleon’s Grande Armee, in reference to the General-Emperor’s many bulletins, or press-releases as they are referred to more currently, which were sent from his [...]

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A stingray makes the news again, this time in Florida. Yesterday a stingray leapt into an occupied boat. Emergency personnel from Lighthouse Point near Miami reported that 81-year-old James Bertakis was in a small recreational boat with his grandchildren when the spotted eagle ray came aboard and struck the man in the chest. Mr. Bertakis, [...]

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In the Bronx, NY, we have the Yankees; the best Major League Baseball team money can buy. The lineup is stunning; Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, Bernie Williams, Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina….All first ballot Hall-of-Famers, all chilling in their mansions checking out the playoffs on their plasma screen TVs again this year, courtesy of [...]

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A long time ago, when certain politicians with presidential aspirations started to suggest that Iraq might be another Vietnam, you might remember that the Conservative pundits soundly rejected the comparison as mere political rhetoric. They gave you the impression that to even think such a thing was a form of treason. Times change as do [...]

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It seems no matter how much you make, it’s never enough. Actor Wesley Snipes, who has been in over fifty movies, produced over ten movies and an endless list of TV credits, has been indicted. Wesley Snipes, best known for his starring role as a Vampire in the ‘Blade’ trilogy has shocked the Entertainment world. [...]

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With mid-term elections only a few short weeks away, talk on the war in Iraq is noticeably absent from Republican campaigns. Even the ever-vigilant warrior in support of the War, President Bush, has seemingly lessened his, ‘forage ahead’ attitude. Bush is turning to a stance of ‘flexibility’, The New York Times reports. It could be [...]

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I want to first introduce myself. My name is Maggie and I am a teacher in public schools. I decided to join this blog because I have views about education that I have long wanted to share. When I impose them on my friends, they are polite, but not everyone cares that much. Maybe they [...]

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Nashville, Tennessee based band, The Raconteurs, which features Jack White (The White Stripes), Brendon Benson (formerly solo) and Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler (The Greenhornes), are stepping into the 21st century and will be making limited edition double-CD sets of each concert on their current U.K. tour available to fans. The live sets are being [...]

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According to the SEC (Securities and Exchange commission) – reports of fraud involving online brokerages are on the rise. MSNBC reports: The Securities and Exchange Commission said it had received a surge in the number of complaints about online account break-ins by hackers “in the last few months”. John Stark, chief of the regulator’s office [...]

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Microsoft, Louis Vuitton, Dior Coutre and Tiffany’s have ample resources to battle fraud and fakes on eBay, but what about smaller merchants, who are having their hard work copied and sold on the site? Michel Leah Keck – an original artist – who sells her work on eBay wrote an interesting post about how eBay [...]

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Counterfeit American Express Gift Cheques might be the latest form of fraudulent financial instrument circulating via the Internet. The items seen thus far are for $500.00 – note the largest denomination issued legitimately is $100.00. If you receive one of these items – it is recommended you verify it before negotiating it. For the information [...]

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The Erie Art Museum will host a free evening reception for Museum members and the general public on Friday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. to mark the opening of three new exhibits throughout the Museum’s galleries. “Outside the Center/ On the Edge” will open in the Main Floor Gallery and features art by 15 artists [...]

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The US has a real problem with 81 year old Johann Leprich. They do not want him but unfortunately nor does any other country. Johann Leprich was stripped of his US citizenship when it was discovered that during the second world war Mr Leprich was not only a member of the Nazi party, but a [...]

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Is Europe knuckling under to radical Islam? Stop laughing. I’m serious here (for many none-Europeans who live here it’s understood that Europe is knuckling under). I’m asking this question because it’s fascinating to see who else is asking that question these days. And no, it’s not who you would expect it to be. More and [...]

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[Since Nabokov published his best seller, Lolita, Lolitahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita it has been ever more apparent that pedophilia is deeply embedded in the American psyche -- help! Ed Kent] Young, Cold and for Sale By BOB HERBERT Published: October 19, 2006 NY Times Op-Ed Atlanta The girl approached me on a desolate stretch of Metropolitan Parkway, about [...]

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I just read on China Rises that the government has changed the name of the Beijing Mascots from Friendlies to Fuwa (gesundheit!) which means “good fortune”. This should be good news to folks who bought commemorative coins with the old name inscribed. Why the name change was made and why the announcement was kept so [...]

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Second Life is not really a game, you do not score points for shooting down alien space ships or rescue princesses from despots. It is a virtual world on the internet where people can interact with others and create their own environment and gadgets. Is this escapism? You bet it is! Second Life has become [...]

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Escondido, a community a few miles north of San Diego in Southern California has passed a new city ordinance making it illegal to rent property to undocumented aliens. This move is being called racist by it’s opponents. I lived in the San Diego area for almost 10 years and it is clear to me that [...]

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The elementary schools in Morgan County, Indiana participate in a program they call “Weekday Religious Education.” This program allows 3rd and 4th grade students, after obtaining parental permission, to leave the school building and go to a trailer located on the school grounds for bible study. This bible study is held for one hour, once [...]

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One for the HDD sentence Johnathan Christopher Klinker, 21, a soldier with the 43rd Area Support Group stationed in Colorado, on Friday, October 13, was home alone for a few hours with his seven week old daughter Nicolette. When she woke up, she was “fussy.” So, he … … “held Nicolette Klinker with both his [...]

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Triggerman pleads guilty Back in January, Grant Everson and his friend Joel Beckrich went to Grant’s home armed with box cuttrs and a shotgun.  The plan was that they would slit Grant’s parents’ throats.  Afterwards, Grant would collect a large sum of insurance money, together with his sister, Nicole, who lived in Colorado. Frant and [...]

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Courtesy of the Colorado Bureau of Vital Statistics This one is priceless. Here’s the summary: In 1995, a little girl was born to a single mother. In 1998, the little girl’s mom took dad to court to seek child support. After paternity was established, dad began making support payments for a while. Then he stopped. [...]

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Las Vegas casino millionaire made what had to be one of the biggest slips in history this week while he was showing off a prized Picasso painting to friends. Steve Wynn was showing off the Picasso painting “Le Reve” (The Dream) before he gave up possession of it in a $139 million sale. Wynn, who [...]

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Off-Broadway producer Tim Haskell is daring you to face your absolute worst fears and pay for the privilege. Haskell has opened up one haunted house in each of the five boroughs of New York which will dare people to face their absolute worst fears leading up to Halloween. In preparation for this, Haskell surveyed thousands [...]

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A small town in eastern India called Aurangabad is getting a make over from police and city officials in an attempt to pick up the morale of the residents. Aurangabad is located in one of the poorest regions of the country and is a hotbed for criminal activity that regularly includes murder, extortion, kidnapping and [...]

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Bristol University researcher Shahad Taheri has released a new study that links shorter amounts of sleep to obesity in children and adults. The study says that the habit being formed by kids and adults to stay up later and get less sleep is one of the causes in higher obesity rates among the population which [...]

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