James River Plaza...

Here are a few pics from this place in downtown Richmond.

What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

Fire Bush...

DSC02886, originally uploaded by RMStringer.

This was one of the bushes at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens that had some very nice lighting effects on it. It looks like the brining bush at night. I tried to get all of the bush in the picture, but I couldn’t fit it in the field of view on my camera, so I got all that I could.

Sondra and Robert...

DSC02882, originally uploaded by RMStringer.

This is me and the wife before we went out last night.

The Walk of Lights...

The Walk of Lights..., originally uploaded by RMStringer.

GardenFest of Lights
Friday November 23, 2007 to Monday January 7, 2008
5 - 10 p.m.

It was freaking COLD last night!! It was colder than i thought it would be and i did not take gloves and my hands were freezing all night long. This was were you walked into after you bought your tickets. It was an enchanting evening to be out...

More Of the Botanical Garden lighting...

More Of the Botanical Garden lighting..., originally uploaded by RMStringer.

GardenFest of Lights
Friday November 23, 2007 to Monday January 7, 2008
5 - 10 p.m.

This was the beginning of the walk to be taken last night.

More Of The Conservatory at Lewis Ginter

More Of The Conservatory at Lewis Ginter, originally uploaded by RMStringer.

GardenFest of Lights
Friday November 23, 2007 to Monday January 7, 2008
5 - 10 p.m.

This was the best of the set . I took several more but they were blurry. Night photography is my bane!

The Greenhouse...

The Greenhouse..., originally uploaded by RMStringer.

The Conservatory is the "Jewel of the Garden." This 11,000 square-foot complex houses exotic and unusual plants from around the world in its permanent collection and features beautiful seasonal displays. Crowned by a 63-foot-tall dome, the Conservatory includes a central Palm House, a semi-tropical wing featuring our orchid collection, and two wings with changing themed displays full of seasonal color and interest.

Tobacco Company Christmas Tree...

Tobacco Company Christmas Tree..., originally uploaded by RMStringer.

www.thetobaccocompany.com
This tree was inside the Tobacco company where we ate last night. The food was VERY GOOD!! The place was decorated with Victorian Christmas ornaments all over the restaurant. It was a very festive evening with a good jazz blues band playing in the bar area. The tree is about 3 stories tall and can bee viewed from all levels of the bar.

Downtown At Night...

Downtown At Night..., originally uploaded by RMStringer.

Richmond had their lighting of downtown last weekend. This is a part of it. It was taken at Riverfront Plaza II.

The End of The Line...

The End of The Line..., originally uploaded by RMStringer.

This was near the end of the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens Christmas walk that we did last night. I thought that it was a good shot and it turned out well.

HIV-positive Navy chaplain gets 2 years on sodomy charges

QUANTICO, Va. (AP) — An HIV-positive Navy chaplain has been sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to forcible sodomy and other charges.

Lieutenant Commander John Lee admitted having sex with an Air Force officer without disclosing that he had HIV. He also admitted to forcing himself on a midshipman in the U.S. Naval Academy.

Lee was sentenced after entering a plea agreement at his court-martial in Quantico, Virginia.

A Marine spokesman says nobody is known to have contracted HIV from Lee.

Lee, a Catholic priest, had been assigned as a chaplain at the Naval Academy from 2003 to 2006, and later as chaplain at the Marine Corps base in Quantico. He was relieved of his duties and had his ability to function as a priest revoked in June.

--
RMSTringer
+++++++++++++++

Virginia: Legislative Report Outlines Abuser Fee Problems

A Virginia legislative committee releases an interim study of the effects of the controversial abusive driver fees.

The Joint Commission on Transportation Accountability yesterday released an interim analysis of the effect of Virginia's so-called abusive driving fees that add taxes of up to $3000 to various motoring offenses ( fee details). Courts began collecting the fees in July, driving 177,000 voters to call for their immediate repeal in an online petition. The report's figures show that the majority of revenue actually collected will come from speeding offenses that are subject to the new fees ($22 million). Both driving under the influence of alcohol ($20 million) and serious driving felonies ($38,000) will generate less revenue, contrary to the assertion of fee proponents.

While the study finds it too early to conclude the program has had any positive effect on safety, the ticket tax appears to have changed the way some police handle traffic stops.

"The magnitude of the deterrent effect, if any, is not readily discernible," the report found. "One possible effect of the abusive driver fee program is that... more speeding summons are being issued for conduct that fits the statutory definition of reckless driving."

Between July and October 2007 the number of arrests for reckless driving had fallen 10.6 percent (892 tickets per month) while the number of arrests for speeding increased 7.6 percent (1320 tickets per month) to compensate. The police officers reluctant to impose the $1050 tax that comes with a reckless driving charge are cutting some motorists a break and writing simple speeding citations instead.

Another side effect of the fees noted in the report is an expected explosion in the number of unlicensed drivers on the road. The new law mandates that anyone who fails to pay an abuser fee loses his license, resulting in an estimated 137,000 additional motorists losing their license in the next fiscal year and another 181,000 by 2009. This means nearly a quarter million people will be driving without a license and without insurance within the next two years, according to compliance data from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

Another 138,126 Virginia motorists (2.5 percent of registered drivers) will be affected by the "point tax" as this number already have a sufficient number of points on their drivers' licenses to trigger mandatory annual payments of between $100 and $700. In addition, 30,934 annually will face the $1050 tax for speeding. Although the fee supporters emphasize that only "reckless" drivers are eligible for the tax, the report shows that 43 percent of all reckless driving convictions went to individuals whose only crime was driving in excess of 80 MPH. On Interstate 85, for example, driving just 10 MPH over the newly established 70 MPH maximum triggers the tax.

Handing out abuser fees to speeders by classifying their actions as "reckless" is essential to the success of the fee program because ordinary speeders are most likely to pay their fines in full. In 2005, the collection rate for habitual offenders operating on a suspended license was just five percent. Drivers accused of going 20 MPH over a limit near a school crossing paid up ninety percent of the time.

The report also showed that certain miscellaneous offenses generate substantially less revenue than speeding. For example, only 91 motorists per year were convicted of reckless driving for failure to use a turn signal. An average of three motorists per year were convicted of "operating a vehicle with a smokescreen or flamethrower" in violation of Virginia Code Section 46.2-1086. All together, these will generate about $100,000 in abuser fee revenue.

A number of factors will reduce the grand total of revenue collected by the fees ( view table of violation revenue). Out-of-state drivers make up seven percent of Virginia driving convictions, and they do not pay the new fees. The overhead cost required to collect the fees is estimated to reduce total profit by eighteen percent. Each type of violation also has a historic collection rate of as little as five percent, further reducing the total revenue expected to around $65 million a year by 2010. The report casts some doubt upon even this figure citing the experience of New Jersey and Texas which showed that collection rates decreased as the fees skyrocketed over $1000.

View the full fee report in a 264k PDF file at the source link below.

Article Excerpt:

Annual number of violations for each fee category, with the total potential amount in fees issued over a three-year period and the average collection rate for each type of offense :

Offense/Fee	Annual Tickets	Total Fees (3 years)	Collection Rate
Speeding/reckless $1050	85,506	$89,781,300	59%
Suspended $750	51,912	$38,934,000	13%
DUI $2250	27,966	$62,923,500	44%
Felony $3000	3,457	$1,037,100	5%
Other $900	75,764	$68,187,600	30%

Source: Interim Review of the Results of Abusive Driver Fees in Virginia and Other States (Joint Commission on Transportation Accountability, 12/5/2007)


--
RMSTringer
+++++++++++++++

Did You Know; Shift Happens - Globalization; Information Age

This is very interesting and eye opening! It is about 6 minutes but worth the watch.





What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

Christmas Kitty...

She was not happy with the paper on her tail! Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

The Weather...

Well folks, we had our first snow showers today. We did not get any accumulation, but we did get some snow. I tried to get a few pics, but it did not work, so not snow pics. I hope that we get some more this year. ZIT is going to be cold tonight with the low around 25 degrees!!

 

All, have a good night…

 

RMStringer

#################

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start,

anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." - Author Unknown

 

My Map Stats...

A new map will be displayed after December 14, 2007. The above map depicts: 8,736 visits from 14 Dec 2006 to 25 Nov 2007.

It was not a bad year for the blog. My ranking got up to 10 on one counter and fell back to 7 where it has leveled off with a steady amount of viewers and patrons to my site. I appreciate all of your patronage and hope to make it a better year in 2008.



What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

And if you did not feel like showing up...

Here is the clip of her taking a dive onstage...


What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

Tired of The Osmunds...

We of the late 60’s and early 70s had to deal with all sorts of injustices and trends. Take Disco as a major one, Sonny & Cher, Shields and Yarnell, and The Osmonds! The all had variety shows that were on prime time TV and all had a lack of taste. Yes the 70’s were a hard time to deal with on TV. Now in the 2000s we have to deal with basically the same crap! Reality TV has inundated us in our homes with people dancing and trying to lose weight, get sober, and survive long days on desert islands on far off seas. With the Hollywood Writers on strike, this is all that we have to see. If it was not for pre-recorded shows we would have nothing to watch. Is this the year that the fossils come back to life? Marie Osmond has been in relative obscurity for the last 20 years and now she can dance? WOW!!! WHAT A REVLATION! THEY did that crap on their TV show way back in the 1970s! That is what they did! The danced, they sang, they did “funny” sketches bla, bla, bla…

Ok, she fainted on the show during that week. Ok. Let’s move on people. Her brother Donnie made commentary on ET Tonight and all sorts of other shows as well as having to suffer with her talking about it and all of the other reporters. It was MAJOR NEWS for a week!! It’s not like we have a war going on or the housing market is going to shit; No Marie Osmond FAINTED on TV putting a blemish on her silver TV personality. Cant they just go AWAY? I remember fondly as the dramatic TV announcers voice would say “Now the Clip of Marie fainting on “Dancing With The Stars” What was Wayne Newton’s reaction? IS she Ok? What will the judges think? Will this hurt her chances of winning the show? De De Do, Wubba Wubba Wubba… As if nothing else was news worthy. And now, with the resurgence of the Osmonds, much like a phoenix coming out of the ashes of TV obscurity; they are back on tour for Christmas. Marie and her brood of kids from adoption and divorce are touring and doing songs and another dammed variety show as we saw clips of their concert tonight on ET once again. I wonder if ET gets a kick-back for putting their asses on every episode of their show?

Now as if we were back in the 1970s, we hear all the sorted details that have not surfaced for the past 30 years about the Osmonduh’s life; Her divorce, Donnie was going to fake a drug conviction to change his image; Marie’s child in Rehab, ect, ect.

Cant it all just go away? For god’s sake, Wayne Newton was a star with Marie on Dancing With The Stars. Where did he crawl out from? What will next year be, “Dancing With The Dead, Arrested or Insane”? Sounds like a winner to me and as about as exciting as most of the rest of the crap that we are force fed every evening…

Now, back to my regularly scheduled coma…

RMStringer

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

You have no conscience and it seems you never will - Cyberaktif

Thought For Today...

Trouble is only opportunity in work clothes-Henry J. Kaiser:1882-1976
Sent from my LGVX8600 Phone.

Strange Clouds...

Strange Clouds..., originally uploaded by RMStringer.

I took this standing on my front porch last week. I thought that the clouds were very interesting looking. You see that the sun is almost down.

A Few Random Pictures...

Me before the ride on Saturday Morning. December 1, 2007 at 9.15am EST


Very neat clouds! Taken on November 24, 2007 at 5.25pm EST


Same Evening, different magnification.Taken on November 24, 2007 at 5.26pm EST


Moon in the west from my house in the morning at 8.39am EST


Driving down 76 South(Powhite Parkway Toll)



What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

happy video weekend from jesse james

What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

Biking Today...

We ended up doing 11.40 miles this morning. We rode the Red, Blue and Green trails.


What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

West Clouds...

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

Off For a Ride!!!

I am off for a ride at Pocahontas Park on the Red and Blue Trails with Jeff. I hope to get in about 9 miles today!

C-YA!!!


What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

ID Tag Software

If any of you are like me and like to have all of your MP3 collections properly tagged then this utility is for you. There are many tag options ID3v1, ID3v2 and a few others.


I was always looking for a way to remove the ID3v1 tags as you could not get some of the full names of the songs in the space provided. This could only be done with ID3v2 but you would have to go and remove the old tags yourself. The old tags would mess up MP3 player tags.



I found a freeware prog that will remove all of the old ID3v1 tags and leave the ID3v2 tags in place! It is called ID3Remover. I tried it and it works WELL!!

This is a screen shot of the prog.

Here is a direct link to the prog: ID3 Tag Remover











What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

Nothing Better To do...

I was on my way to work last night and I took the Powhite Parkway which is 76 north and also a Toll Road.  It was about 11.15 pm when this happened.  I came to the first set of tools near the Courthouse Road exit and I saw a person from a distance walking through the toll machines. I thought to myself that it was strange as I could see the person who takes the money at the normal booth. When I got closer I saw that it was a State Police. He was evidently looking at the inspection stickers on the windshields of the cars to see if they have expired.  He bent over to look at mine and he had to move out of the way so I could place the money into the Exact Change lane.  He looked at me and I looked at him kind of strange like don't you have any other thing to do at 11pm at night then to harass people at the toll booths?  The interstate has many more people that speed and should be looked after instead of messing with this road. It really pissed me off about this.  My sticker is still good!

 

RMStringer

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Let teachers and priests and philosophers brood

over questions of reality and illusion.

I know this: if life is an illusion, then I

am no less an illusion, and being thus, the

illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I

love, I slay, and I am content.

(Robert E. Howard, Queen of the Black Coast, Weird Tales, May 1934)

 

Verizon Wireless To Introduce ‘Any Apps, Any Device’ Option For Customers In 2008

Just in off the wire...

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon Wireless today announced that it will provide customers the option to use, on its nationwide wireless network, wireless devices, software and applications not offered by the company. Verizon Wireless plans to have this new choice available to customers throughout the country by the end of 2008.

In early 2008, the company will publish the technical standards the development community will need to design products to interface with the Verizon Wireless network. Any device that meets the minimum technical standard will be activated on the network. Devices will be tested and approved in a $20 million state-of-the-art testing lab which received an additional investment this year to gear up for the anticipated new demand. Any application the customer chooses will be allowed on these devices.

This new option goes beyond just a change in the design, delivery, purchase, and provisioning of wireless devices and applications.

“This is a transformation point in the 20-year history of mass market wireless devices – one which we believe will set the table for the next level of innovation and growth,” said Lowell McAdam, Verizon Wireless president and chief executive officer. “Verizon Wireless is not changing our successful retail model, but rather adding an additional retail option for customers looking for a different wireless experience.”

Verizon Wireless will continue to provide a full-service offering, from retail stores where customers can shop, to 24/7 customer service and technical support, to an easy-to-use handset interface and optimized software applications.

While most Verizon Wireless customers prefer the convenience of full service, the company is listening through today’s announcement to a small but growing number of customers who want another choice without full service.

Both full-service and “bring-your-own” customers will have the advantage of using America’s most reliable network.

Following publication of technical standards, Verizon Wireless will host a conference to explain the standards and get input from the development community on how to achieve the company’s goals for network performance while making it easy for them to deliver devices.
Verizon Wireless has a track record of listening to customers and transforming entrenched industry practices based on those customer needs. The company parted with the industry last year when it introduced pro-rated early termination fees, and in 2004 when it refused to participate in a wireless directory when customers said they didn’t want one. Verizon Wireless also broke with “wireless tradition” when it supported local number portability because customers wanted the freedom to take their number if they switched service providers. Such responsiveness to customers has earned Verizon Wireless the strongest brand reputation in the industry.

About Verizon WirelessVerizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 63.7 million customers. The largest U.S. wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 68,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com.

What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

Windows problems...

I just had to do an “Upgrade” to my old Windows Xp Pro installation.  I used a prog called Reg Cleaner 4.3 and it hosed a few entries that I needed.  After its use, the desktop kept crashing.  I used an old trick and instead of doing a complete reinstall, I used the upgrade option.  This allowed me to be able to keep all of my settings and reinstall the main OS to a disk state.  I will have to reinstall a few other updates, but it is working fine now.

 

RMStringer

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

You have no conscience and it seems you never will - Cyberaktif

 

Esther's Follies...Austin Texas

Here are a few pics from the Esther's Follies show that i saw in Austin Texas 2 weekends ago. The show is on 6th Street in downtown Austin and it has been running for 30 years. I had never heard of the show and when i was younger would not have enjoyed it but now I really loved the show and the funny skits and magic tricks that were preformed. The players were top notch and they all had a very political slant to the comedy! If you are ever in Austin, I STRONGLY recommend going to see the show! You will not be disappointed!!! The pics are not the best as i used my Cam Phone to take them.

Ray Anderson He IS TOP NOTCH!!!
Ray Anderson, Austin’s nationally renowned magician has been caught up in the tornado that is Esther’s Follies for over fifteen years. Deemed “best spellbinder” by the Austin Chronicle, Ray perplexes both audience members and curious 6th Street revelers peering through Esther’s trademark windows. Whether as himself or his “Amazing Frank” alter-ego, Ray uniquely combines magic and comedy in a way you probably have never seen before.

Kerry Awn Does a GOOD BUSH Imitation!!

Kerry Awn has rocked Follies audiences for over a decade as Buck Husky, George W., and that patron Saint of the Velveeta Room— Ronnie Velveeta! He’s also band leader of the Uranium Savages, has won the Chronicle’s “Best Comic” title for over a decade, and was even named “Texas State Comic” by the Texas Legislature! He restored the 23rd & Guadalupe mural— Austin’s most memorable, and has a show presently at the South Austin Popular Museum on South Lamar! Check it out at kerryawn.com.

Shannon Sedwick Pulling stuff out of her dress as Patsy Cline (THIS WAS FUNNY) has become Shannon’s trademark at Esther’s, though she is equally at home playing Ann Richards, Madonna, or Hilary Clinton. The mama of the Follies, Shannon keeps the show rolling as producer and performer, stays active in Sixth Street restoration as President of the Old Pecan Street Association and other downtown organizations, and keeps busy with projects created by her co-producer and husband, Michael Shelton.

Esther's Follies is Located at
525 East 6th Street
Austin, TX 78701


What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

Robot Chicken...

We saw this the other night at work. Remember the ThunderCats? This is a little different take on them plus much much more!! This is not the entire video as it is over 15 minutes long. This is just a preview! There are several other clips in this preview that you might remember!!


Dicks With Time Machines!



What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

Wet light rays.

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone. I wanted to take this pic for a long time. It is on an overpass on I95 North.
From RMStringer

Rain Tonight

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone. The lot is all wet.
From RMStringer

Police Secrecy Behind Unmanned Aircraft Test.

For those of you that live in Houston Texas...

It looks like they are getting in the "Anti-Terrorist" Game also. I wonder if the drones have guns and bombs like their Armed Forces cousins?

By Stephen Dean

WALLER COUNTY, Texas -- Houston police started testing unmanned aircraft and the event was shrouded in secrecy, but it was captured on tape by Local 2 Investigates.

Neighbors in rural Waller County said they thought a top-secret military venture was under way among the farmland and ranches, some 70 miles northwest of Houston. KPRC Local 2 Investigates had four hidden cameras aimed at a row of mysterious black trucks. Satellite dishes and a swirling radar added to the neighbors' suspense.

Then, cameras were rolling as an unmanned aircraft was launched into the sky and operated by remote control.

Houston police cars were surrounding the land with a roadblock in place to check each of the dignitaries arriving for the invitation-only event. The invitation spelled out, "NO MEDIA ALLOWED."

HPD Chief Harold Hurtt attended, along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and dozens of officers from various police agencies in the Houston area. Few of the guests would comment as they left the test site.

News Chopper 2 had a Local 2 Investigates team following the aircraft for more than one hour as it circled overhead. Its wings spanned 10 feet and it circled at an altitude of 1,500 feet. Operators from a private firm called Insitu, Inc. manned remote controls from inside the fleet of black trucks as the guests watched a live feed from the high-powered camera aboard the 40-pound aircraft.

"I wasn't ready to publicize this," Executive Assistant Police Chief Martha Montalvo said. She and other department leaders hastily organized a news conference when they realized Local 2 Investigates had captured the entire event on camera.

"We still haven't even decided how we were going to go forward on this task, so it seemed premature to me to announce this to the media," Montalvo said. "But since, obviously, the media found out about it, then I don't see any reason why just not go forward with what we have so far."

Montalvo told reporters the unmanned aircraft would be used for "mobility" or traffic issues, evacuations during storms, homeland security, search and rescue, and also "tactical." She admitted that could include covert police actions and she said she was not ruling out someday using the drones for writing traffic tickets.

A large number of the officers at the test site were assigned to the department's ticket-writing Radar Task Force. Capt. Tom Runyan insisted they were only there to provide "site security," even though KPRC cameras spotted those officers heavily participating in the test flight.

Houston police contacted KPRC from the test site, claiming the entire airspace was restricted by the Federal Aviation Administration. Police even threatened action from the FAA if the Local 2 helicopter remained in the area. However, KPRC reported it had already checked with the FAA on numerous occasions and found no flight restrictions around the site, a point conceded by Montalvo.

HPD leaders said they would address privacy and unlawful search questions later.
South Texas College of Law professor Rocky Rhodes, who teaches the constitution and privacy issues, said, "One issue is going to be law enforcement using this and when, by using these drones, are they conducting a search in which they'd need probable cause or a warrant. If the drones are being used to get into private spaces and be able to view where the government cannot otherwise go, and to collect information that would not otherwise be able to collect, that's concerning to me."

HPD Assistant Chief Vickie King said of the unmanned aircraft, "It's interesting that privacy doesn't occur or searches aren't an issue when you have a helicopter pilot over you and it would not be used in airspace other than what our helicopters are used in already."

She admitted that police helicopters are not equipped with cameras nearly as powerful as the unmanned aircraft, but she downplayed any privacy concerns, saying news helicopters have powerful cameras as well.

HPD stressed it is working with the FAA on reviewing the technical specifications, the airworthiness and hazards of flying unmanned aircraft in an urban setting. Future test flights are planned.

The price tag for an unmanned aircraft ranges from $30,000 to $1 million each and HPD is hoping to begin law enforcement from the air by June of 2008 with these new aircraft.

What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

This week...

Well folks, The week is drawing to an end. I was able to Ride about 15 miles this week and i went to the gym and did weights 2 days on Sunday and Tuesday. I was supposed to go and ride today but i did not feel good and i was tired as i today is a my "bad day" for sleep and work.

Well, i am going to close this post by saying to everyone to have a very good Christmas Holiday Season!



What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

A Button...

It is my first try at making a buton for others to use on their site. Let em know what u think.

What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

New Links To my Site...

Here are a few new links that i have added to a fellow Blogger's sites.

Good,Bad,Ugly"

The Gonzo Papers"

Go and Visit Them!!


What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

pulp - hardcore (no, not THAT hardcore...)

What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

Pocahontas Park Today...

We got in 8 miles today on the Red and Blue trails.  I am totally wasted and my knees are hurting.  I will have to go to the gym tomorrow to lift weights.  I guess that I am just really tired from work this week…

 

RMStringer

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Let teachers and priests and philosophers brood

over questions of reality and illusion.

I know this: if life is an illusion, then I

am no less an illusion, and being thus, the

illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I

love, I slay, and I am content.

(Robert E. Howard, Queen of the Black Coast, Weird Tales, May 1934)

 

Strange Files...

On CNN.Com/Health


Doctors untangle the strange case of the giant hairball!






CNN) -- It may not be the most appetizing reading before a hearty holiday meal, but the New England Journal of Medicine is devoting part of its Thanksgiving issue to a giant hairball -- and not the feline kind.

The prestigious journal details the case of a previously healthy 18-year-old woman who consulted a team of gastrointestinal specialists.
She complained of a five-month history of pain and swelling in her abdomen, vomiting after eating and a 40-pound weight loss.

After a scan of the woman's abdomen showed a large mass, doctors lowered a scope through her esophagus.

It revealed "a large bezoar occluding nearly the entire stomach," wrote Drs. Ronald M. Levy and Srinadh Komanduri, gastroenterologists at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois.
For the uninitiated, a bezoar is a hairball.

"On questioning, the patient stated that she had had a habit of eating her hair for many years -- a condition called trichophagia," they wrote.


"It seemed like she'd been doing this for several years," Levy told CNN.
The woman underwent surgery to remove the mass of black, curly hair, which weighed 10 pounds and measured 15 inches by 7 inches by 7 inches, the doctors said.
Five days later, she was eating normally and was sent home.

A year later, the pain and vomiting were gone, the patient had regained 20 pounds "and reports that she has stopped eating her hair."

Reached at his home in Chicago, Levy said he had no idea whether the journal's timing of the publication on Thanksgiving was intentional.

Either way, he said, it would not affect the gastroenterologists' holiday dinner plans -- "We don't get fazed by much."










What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

Justices To Rule On D.C. Gun Ban

2nd Amendment Case Could Affect Laws Nationwide

By Robert BarnesWashington Post Staff Writer

The Supreme Court announced yesterday that it will determine whether the District of Columbia's strict firearms law violates the Constitution, a decision that will raise the politically and culturally divisive issue of gun control just in time for the 2008 elections.

The court's examination of the meaning of the Second Amendment for the first time in nearly 70 years carries broad implications for gun-control measures locally and across the country.

The District has the nation's most restrictive law, essentially banning private handgun ownership and requiring that rifles and shotguns kept in private homes be unloaded and disassembled or outfitted with a trigger lock. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit declared it unconstitutional last year, becoming the first appeals court to overturn a gun-control law because of the Second Amendment.

For years, legal scholars, historians and grammarians have debated the meaning of the amendment because of its enigmatic wording and odd punctuation: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Gun-rights proponents say the words guarantee the right of an individual to possess firearms. Gun-control supporters say the words convey only a civic or "collective" right to own guns as part of service in an organized military organization. The Bush administration said in 2002 that it supports the individual-rights position.

Robert A. Levy, a scholar at the libertarian Cato Institute who has spent years planning a challenge that would reach the Supreme Court, called the court's decision to take the case "good news for all Americans who would like to be able to defend themselves where they live and sleep."

"And it's especially good news for residents of Washington, D.C., which has been the murder capital of the nation despite an outright ban on all functional firearms since 1976," he said.
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) has said the District's up-and-down homicide rate would have been higher without the ban, and that the law is a locally supported move to protect police officers, children and other victims of gun violence.

"It's the will of the people of the District of Columbia that has to be respected," Fenty said at a news conference with D.C. Attorney General Linda Singer and several D.C. Council members. "We should have the right to make our own decisions."

He added: "We believe the U.S. Constitution is on our side."

The two sides proposed competing constitutional questions, so the court wrote its own, saying it would determine whether provisions of the District's law "violate the Second Amendment rights of individuals who are not affiliated with any state-regulated militia, but who wish to keep handguns and other firearms for private use in their homes." The court will probably hear the case in March.

The court's last examination of the amendment was in 1939, when it ruled in U.S. v. Miller that a sawed-off shotgun transported across state lines by a bootlegger was not what the amendment's authors had in mind when they were protecting arms needed for military service.

Since then, almost all of the nation's courts of appeal have read the ruling to mean that the amendment conveys only a collective right to gun ownership. But two of them, the D.C. Circuit and the 5th Circuit, have endorsed the individual-rights view, and so have some legal scholars who normally take positions on the left.

Mark V. Tushnet, a Harvard law professor whose new book, "Out of Range," is a legal and historical examination of the Second Amendment, concluded that the legal arguments on each side "are in reasonably close balance."

There is scant evidence about the justices' views.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia have made statements that seem to show their sympathy for the individual-rights argument. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said at his confirmation hearing that he believed the court in its Miller decision "sidestepped" the fundamental question.

Levy and co-counsel Clark M. Neily III and Alan Gura worked for years to assemble a challenge to the D.C. ban that the courts would accept. Their plaintiffs are law-abiding citizens who want the weapons for self-defense rather than people appealing criminal convictions for possessing weapons.

The case is called District of Columbia v. Heller because of security guard and D.C. resident Dick A. Heller, 65, whose application for a permit to keep a handgun in his home was denied by the city.

A federal district judge ruled against Heller and other residents who brought the suit, but a three-judge panel of the appeals court overturned that decision. By a 2 to 1 vote, the judges ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to private firearms and self-defense that "existed prior to the formation of the new government under the Constitution."

The petition filed by the D.C. attorney general said the appeals court is wrong for three reasons: It recognizes an individual rather than a collective right, the Second Amendment serves as a restriction only on federal interference with state-regulated militias and state-recognized gun rights, and the District is within its rights to protect its citizens by banning a certain type of gun.

The gun-rights lawyers said they agreed that even a recognition of an individual right could allow the government to make reasonable restrictions, but not the ban the District imposes.

Both sides acknowledge that the Second Amendment pertains to federal restrictions rather than to restrictions imposed by states and that the District's unique status presents something of a jurisdictional quandary. But Maryland and three other states filed a brief saying that all have a stake in the case, because allowing the appeals court ruling to stand would destabilize current law and "cast a cloud over all federal and state law restricting access to firearms."

National groups on both sides of the gun-control issue are jittery about bringing the case to the Supreme Court, because of the uncertainty about the outcome.

"We're nervous," said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "Anytime you go to the Supreme Court, you could end up with all sorts of gun laws being called into question."

The National Rifle Association was also initially skeptical about the case, but Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said he is more confident of a positive outcome for his group with Roberts and Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. on the court.

What is your opinion?
Blogroll Me!

Dc Gun Laws...

This is off of the NRA's Website. This does not need to happen!!! Please help to not let this happen!!!

The Case For Reforming The District of Columbia`s Gun Laws

H.R. 1399/S. 1001, the "District of Columbia Personal Protection Act," introduced in the House by Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) and Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) and in the Senate by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.), would end D.C.'s prohibition on using guns for self-defense in one's home and conform other D.C. gun laws to federal laws, while retaining stiff penalties for illegal gun possession and gun crimes. It would do none of the things claimed by anti-gun groups. The legislation is long overdue. In 1976, D.C.'s City Council thumbed its nose at Congress, the 14th Amendment's guarantee of "equal protection of the laws," and the rest of the U.S., and began conducting a social experiment of its own design against the city's law-abiding residents. The experiment, unlike anything known elsewhere in America, took the form of the Firearms Control Regulations Act, which required that firearms kept at home be rendered useless for protection by being "unloaded, disassembled, or bound by a trigger lock or similar device." It required that all privately owned firearms be registered, and prohibited possession of a handgun not registered with city police prior to Sept. 24, 1976, and re-registered by Feb. 5, 1977. The results have been catastrophic. Since D.C. imposed its 1976 laws, it has earned the unfortunate distinction, "murder capital of the United States." D.C.'s murder rate had been declining before 1976, but it increased thereafter. Between 1976-1991, it rose 200%, while the U.S. murder rate rose only 9%. (FBI, D.C. Police) The District's prohibition on possession of firearms for defense at home conflicts with Congress' stated purpose in passing the Gun Control Act (1968). Section 101 of that law states "[I]t is not the purpose of this title to place any undue or unnecessary Federal restrictions or burdens on law-abiding citizens with respect to the acquisition, possession, or use of firearms appropriate to the purpose of hunting, trapshooting, target shooting, personal protection, or any other lawful activity, and that this title is not intended to discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes. . ." (Emphasis added.) D.C. is the only jurisdiction in the U.S. that prohibits keeping firearms in an operable condition at home, for defense against criminal attack. The right to be secure in one's home is an ages-old right affirmed in law and court decisions, but curtailed in D.C. The District should not criminalize self-defense when it cannot defend people. As legal scholars Robert J. Cottrol and Raymond T. Diamond have written, "[A] society with a dismal record of protecting a people has a dubious claim on the right to disarm them. . . . [I]t is unwise to place the means of protection totally in the hands of the state. . . ." ("The Second Amendment: Toward an Afro-Americanist Reconsideration," Gun Control and the Constitution: Sources and Explorations on the Second Amendment, ed., Robert J. Cottrol, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Law, 1994, p. 427.) The District should not criminalize self-defense when it is not legally obligated to defend people. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals has ruled that the city's police department is "not generally liable to victims of violent criminal acts for failure to provide adequate police protection. . . ." (Warren v. District of Columbia, 444 A.2d 1, 1981) D.C.'s gun law forces law-abiding people to choose between protecting their lives and obeying the law. Former U.S. Senator Warren Rudman, after retiring from office, said: "Honest people don't have guns and criminals do. I think people have a right to protect themselves. I was outraged to learn that I couldn't legally have a gun in Washington. Despite the law, I kept one in my office and one in my apartment, because there were plenty of armed criminals roaming the streets of Washington." (Combat: Twelve Years in the U.S. Senate, 1996, p.40) Allowing citizens to defend themselves at home deters criminals. A study for the U.S. Department of Justice found that 40% of felons have decided to not commit one or more crimes for fear their potential victims were armed. (James D. Wright and Peter H. Rossi, Armed and Considered Dangerous: A Survey of Felons and Their Firearms, 1986, p. 155.) The District's prohibition against using firearms for defense against violent criminal attack increases the likelihood that crime victims will be injured by their assailants. National Crime Victimization Surveys show: "Robbery and assault victims who used a gun to resist were less likely to be attacked or to suffer an injury than those who used any other methods of self-protection or those who did not resist at all." (Gary Kleck, Targeting Guns, 1997, p. 171). On July 11, 2006 D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey declared a "crime emergency" in the District. The move, in reaction to a recent surge in homicides, allowed him to quickly adjust officers' schedules and limit their days off. Ramsey has declared four "crime emergencies" since taking office in 1998.

--
RMSTringer
+++++++++++++++

Mountain Biking Today...

We went to Pocahontas Park and we did the Red Trail. IT was fun as we had not ridden it in a long time. The redid a section of the trial and made a Half-Pipe out of it. I saw it and rode it several weeks ago with Mark. I will have some video clips of a few parts of the trial. Jeff brought his camera and we used the video function. After we rode the Red, We went to the Green trial and it was a good fun ride on that trial we had 6.69 miles when we made it back to the Quala Lot. I hope to get some more ridding in this weekend!!

God Bless and have a good Thanksgiving Day!!

RMStringer

******************

"Seduction is thus a central, indeed in certain respects, the central idea, in political life.

It signifies a course of action deliberately designed by one or more interested

agents to undermine and replace some established loyalty."

Kenneth Minogue (November issue of The New Criterion)

What is this?

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

Recovery Thoughts...

I was in Austin all weekend for my brother’s wedding. It was very nice and a good time was had by all. There was lots of drinking by the wedding party which I was a member, but I did not drink. It was strange. I really never think about doing drugs. It is just a non-issue for me. When I touched down in Austin at the airport I had a very strange feeling like I wanted to use. I was back in Austin, in the part of town where all the bad stuff is located. I had to catch a taxi to be brought to the wedding rehearsal and the guy drove me right down K blvd, I kind of freaked when I saw several streets that I used to roll down when I was using. It was really strange being on that side of town and seeing those streets. I had so many different thoughts going on inside my head that it was crazy like “wouldn’t it be nice” kind of thing and then I snapped back into reality! What the hell was I thinking? I knew that it was a non-possibility and that I would never go down those streets again. I have over 5.5 years and way too much to lose over some bullshit like that. Being sober is the best think that I could have done in my life. It was part of a not so natural maturing process that I have undergone over the last 5+ years. I am very grateful for my sobriety. And let me be clear on this; it has been over 5.5 years since I drank and may 15, 2008 it will be 5 years of continued clean life with no drugs.

Some people go their whole live and never recover. The Big Book promises that it does happen! You do not have to go through life and be a miserable “recovering” person, you CAN and WILL RECOVER if you do what is suggested in the book!

God Bless everyone…

RMStringer

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Your life is the sum of a remainder of an unbalanced

equation inherent to the programming of the matrix.

You are the eventuality of an anomaly, which despite

my sincerest efforts I have been unable to eliminate

from what is otherwise a harmony of mathematical precision.

While it remains a burden assiduously avoided, it is not

unexpected, and thus not beyond a measure of control.

Which has led you, inexorably, here." - The Architect, The Matrix Reloaded

Me @ DFW Airport

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

My flight to Dallas.

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

Cliff & Lindsey Stringer!

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

Its Me!

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

Last Stringer Man Down!

T-2.5 hours till wedding! Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

Another wikid pic.

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

New Austin building...

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

Part 3 in Chicago O-Hare

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

Travel Problems...

New gate at RIC. We were ready to take off and had to return to the gate due to problems. I was able to rebook. Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

Full flight to Texas!

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

Off to my bro's wedding in Texas...

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

More Fall colors...

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer

Fall Colors...

Taken with my LGVX8600 phone.
From RMStringer