Monday, October 28, 2013

News clips of the day


Pack of bikers arrested on Long Island for speeding recklessly, police say

NEW YORK — Seven motorcyclists were arrested on reckless driving charges on Long Island on Sunday, and dozens more were issued citations, authorities said.
Dozens of 911 callers reported that the pack of bikers and ATV operators estimated to number from 20 to 50 were speeding and driving recklessly between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., according to the Suffolk County Police Department.
Police from two precincts pursued the pack of bikers before making arrests and issuing summonses. Several of the arrests were for fleeing police and leaving the scene of an accident.
In addition to the seven bikers arrested for reckless driving, another pack of 30 was arrested for trespassing after gathering on county property.
Earlier this month, Suffolk County PD made seven arrests for a pack of bikers on Columbus Day driving at high speeds on the Long Island Expressway. Speeds in a chase with two police cruisers reached 90 mph at one point. One of the bikes pulled over that day had "Let me guess ... License and Registration" painted on the side.
Both of these incidents follow a widely publicized biker attack in New York, in which the driver of an SUV was surrounded and later beaten by a pack of bikers in Manhattan. An undercover New York Police Department officer who took part in the ride has been charged, along with several other off-duty officers.
Daniel Arkin of NBC News contributed to this report.


The NYC police are being more assertive with bikers now, it seems. I think it's safe to say they learned a lesson with the totally out of control SUV incident earlier. I wonder if they have been sued. I hate motorcycles if they weave in and out of lane and generally cause trouble, but if they drive in a disciplined manner and go the speed limit they're kind of exciting in a pleasant way.



He's not dead, he just plays it on TV
Professional Dead Guy is not a career many people can make happen. But one man has realized his dream of playing a dead body, and he clearly has the cold, clammy touch for the job.
“When I started doing this, I thought, ‘I really do look like a dead guy,’” said Chuck Lamb, the living human behind DeadBodyGuy.com. “I’m pale and I’m bald, I have bags under my eyes — you could definitely pick me out as a zombie or a dead guy anywhere.”
Lamb, who has played dead bodies on TV and in movies wasn’t always the go-to pro corpse he is today. A former Ohio-based computer programmer, one night he dreamed that he was a dead body on “Law & Order,” with Det. Lennie Briscoe staring down at him. It was a vision of the future, he hoped.
“I told my wife, ‘I could be Dead Body Man!’” he said. “Everybody needs a dead body.”
Lamb created a website in 2005 to self-promote himself to the industry, and got more response than he bargained for (he says they stopped counting hits on the site after 50 million). He landed corpse jobs on TV series like “What I Like About You” and “The Jury,” plus movies like “Stiffs,” and garnered a lot of media attention, including a story in The New York Times and a 2006 appearance on Today.
Lamb got lucky — it seems that everyone thinks they can play a dead body. And while there’s a bottomless well of need for corpses at any number of series and reality re-enactment dramas, David Waldron, who casts background actors for “Law & Order: SVU” said the competition is, well, stiff.
“Everyone says ‘I want to be a dead body,’” said Waldron. “And I say, ‘You don’t really want to be a dead body.’ If you’re working with me, you know it’s not an easy job.”
That’s because it’s uncomfortable work, particularly on “SVU.” On that show, bodies get dumped in the mud, covered in red corn syrup and maggots, stuffed behind a dumpster with cats crawling on them, and left behind with their clothes torn in cold Central Park. Which means the actors have to endure those indignities, too. Other times, a body in the autopsy room may require three hours of makeup, while a burn victim can take up to five hours.
“The novelty goes quickly out the window,” said “SVU’s” casting director Jonathan Strauss. “That separates the professionals from the amateurs. The hardest working men and women in show business are the dead.”
Lamb, however, had a knack for it. Aside from — as he puts it — looking a little dead already, he was extremely dedicated to his work. For “Jury,” he was portraying a body in the Florida sand dunes when he was accidentally laid him out on a pile of red ants. “I laid there for ten minutes before I said, ‘These ants are biting the piss out of me!’” he recalled. “They had to hose me off I had so many red ants on me.”
For some, playing dead can be a way station to greater things: Actor Mike Shiflett, who has since worked on HBO’s “John Adams” and Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” in live, speaking roles, had an early start as serial killer Ray Copeland on Discovery ID’s “Forensic Files.” It helped him discover that he really, really loved acting. “It’s been fun, it’s been an adventure, and a real learning curve,” he said.
As for Lamb, he's scaled back his ambitions, since he didn’t want to move to Los Angeles or New York to really dedicate himself entirely to the dead guy pursuit. But he would like to fulfill one remaining dream. 
“If I got on ‘Law & Order,’” he said, “we could close up shop after that.
“Everybody wants to make their mark in the world,” he said. “It’s fulfilling a dream. I know it might seem a weird dream, but it’s my dream.”


Several times when I was looking for work I have found ads for a film company down in St. Augustine asking for extras. They make commercials, and maybe some other short films, too. I never went down to try out, but it always seemed like it would be fun. It's a long way to drive to work, though, and I probably wouldn't get the role. It's safer to stick with what I know. I have since stopped looking for work and am living very carefully on Social Security. I'm 68 years old, and it feels good not to worry about a job.



christening revealed 

Jillian Eugenios TODAY
Oct. 26, 2013 at 5:01 PM ET
When the photos of Prince George's christening were released this week, the world oohed and ahhed.
Get ready for round two.

© Jason Bell / Camera Press
The portraits of Prince George’s christening were taken in the Morning Room at Clarence House, which dates back to 1825.
An additional photo was released Saturday, which shows an intimate moment between the three-month-old and his adoring parents Prince William and Duchess Kate. 
The photo was taken by celebrity portrait photographer Jason Bell, who snapped the impossibly adorable baby and his famous family just after the christening ceremony. 
The affair was attended by only close relatives and friends. Those in attendance included the royal couple’s family members, including their parents and siblings, as well as Queen Elizabeth II, who gathered for the portraits in the Morning Room at Clarence House, the official residence of Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.


I have copied the christening photo of Prince George and his parents, so I hope it transfers over to the blog. On the news several days ago a British commentator put Prince George's photo beside Prince William's when he was the same age and there is a close resemblance. His mother looks like she is very proud of him. I hope she and William will have a peaceful and happy marriage, and not like that of Charles and Diana. Prince William doesn't look like the carousing type, and he also seems really to love Kate. It cheers me up to see them.



Man live-tweets former NSA chief's overheard phone call on train
A man eavesdropping on a public phone conversation by a former national security official took "overheard on the train" to a new level on Thursday. 
Tom Matzzie was riding on an Acela Express headed from Washington to New York City when he started live-tweeting details from what he said was a loud phone conversation of the passenger two rows behind him — former National Security Agency Director Michael Hayden. Matzzie, the owner of a renewable energy company and a former Washington director of the political group MoveOn.org, claimed Hayden could be heard bashing the Obama administration while giving "off-the-record" interviews and discussing covert sites. 
It wasn't until about a half hour into the ride that Matzzie realized it was Hayden on the phone, after initially believing it was current Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. 
"After probably the third phone call, I looked back one more time and said, 'That's not Clapper, that's Michael Hayden,''' Matzzie told Peter Alexander on MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports" on Friday. "At some point I felt compelled to share what I was experiencing, so I took to Twitter."
Hayden talking about a famous blackberry now.
— Tom Matzzie (@tommatzzie) October 24, 2013

Hayden was bragging about rendition and black sites a minute ago.
— Tom Matzzie (@tommatzzie) October 24, 2013

Michael Hayden on Acela giving reporters disparaging quotes about admin. "Remember, just refer as former senior admin" #exNSAneedsadayjob
— Tom Matzzie (@tommatzzie) October 24, 2013

On Acela: former NSA spy boss Michael Hayden just ended last of handful of interviews bashing admin.
— Tom Matzzie (@tommatzzie) October 24, 2013

On Acela listening to former NSA spy boss Michael Hayden give "off record" interviews. I feel like I'm in the NSA. Except I'm in public.
— Tom Matzzie (@tommatzzie) October 24, 2013

On Acela: phone ringing. I think the jig is up. Maybe somebody is telling him I'm here. Do I hide?
— Tom Matzzie (@tommatzzie) October 24, 2013

On Acela: Hayden's comments to press were clearly about NSA spying on foreign allies. #haydenacela
— Tom Matzzie (@tommatzzie) October 24, 2013
Hayden soon got wind of Matzzie's tweets and paid him a visit, even taking a picture with him. Hayden declined comment when reached by TODAY. 
Me and Steeler fan Michael Hayden. pic.twitter.com/vOmr6RIMPe
— Tom Matzzie (@tommatzzie) October 24, 2013

I just had a very nice conversation with Michael Hayden. He was a gentleman and we disagree.
— Tom Matzzie (@tommatzzie) October 24, 2013
"There was definitely a moment of kind of...I clenched myself,'' Matzzie told Alexander. "He's not just the former head of the NSA, he's also the former head of the CIA, so there was a little bit of that. I suspected he was probably going to be a gentlemen, and we'd have a conversation and that's what happened.
"The first thing he said was, 'Would you like a real interview?' I said, 'Well I'm not a reporter,' and then he said, 'Everybody is a reporter,' which I guess in the age of Twitter is true."
The two then launched into a discussion about the Fourth Amendment, warrant-less wire-tapping, and eavesdropping on foreign leaders, according to Matzzie. He also recalled overhearing Hayden say something about President Barack Obama's famous Blackberry. 
"The implication I got was he should know we're spying on these foreign leaders because we told him not to use a Blackberry, implying that we're listening to every other cell phone conversation int he world,'' Matzzie said. 
Matzzie believes he was not invading Hayden's privacy by live-tweeting his phone conversations. 
"First of all, I don't think it's a fair characterization,'' he said. "He was in public. There's no reasonable expectation of privacy when you're on the train blabbing like that. The right thing for him to do would've been to stand up, walk to the end of the train to one of the more private areas, and he would at that point be kind of cloaking himself in a presumption and expectation of privacy, and I would've been violating his privacy at that point to do those tweets." 


Can you believe this? You would think a head of the NSA would know to be careful on the telephone. Of course, I think the government has too many things classified as secret. Sometimes it's classified that way when the spying or other activities such as renditions and black sites shouldn't be happening at all. It's like the torture of prisoners in Iraq and even in Cuba. Too me it doesn't help our national security if the prisoners will make up a story to tell in order to stop the torture, but above all it goes against our position as an ethical society. How can we expect to be trusted?



Giant George, once world's tallest dog, dies
The Great Dane who once held the Guinness Book of World Records title for being the world’s tallest dog has died a month shy of his eighth birthday. Although the world knew him as Giant George, to his owners, Dave and Christine Nasser of Tuscon, Ariz., he was just plain old George, their beloved family pet.
“He was the outcast of the litter,” Dave Nasser told TODAY.com about the fateful day he first laid eyes on the blue-grey pooch. “He was off to the side, not playing with the others.”
But George was anything but a runt. Christine Nasser chose the pup’s name, telling her husband, “a dog this size needs a person’s name.” From then on, George was just another member of the family — even though his massive size sometimes caused surprisingly funny problems around the house. “His tail — one time he put a dent in the drywall just by wagging it,” Dave Nasser laughs. “Yet he was also delicate and gentle. The kids could be around and you were never worried.”
When Dave and Christine welcomed children — the kids are now 4 and 2 — George warmed up to them and kept a watchful eye on anyone who got too close. “Danes do not do well separated from their families. They want to hang out, be with you, spend time with you, be part of the family. They just want to feel included in everything.”
Once the Guinness Book came calling (George held the record from 2010-2012), the Nassers felt their lives change almost instantly. George had already been a local celebrity, with strangers asking to take pictures, but the new-found fame catapulted them to another level. Dave, who works in real estate, felt that George had become his second job. He organized a Facebook page, handled interview requests, and answered fan mail from around the world — including one request from a man in England who collects paw prints of famous dogs.
Since announcing George’s death on October 18, his owners have been bereft. But Dave has found comfort by going online and interacting with the fans around the world who had come to love the three-foot, seven-inch-tall dog.
“The day that we put up on Facebook that he had passed away,” he says, “we got 13,000 comments. They were all so amazingly nice. I just sat there, and it was so emotional. It helped, but it made me sad too.”
Touched by the kind responses, Dave knew he had to do something to memorialize the dog he loved so much. He’s organizing National Giant George Service Day on November 17. That day, he’s encouraging all of George’s fans to donate money or volunteer with their favorite animal-related charity.
“It’s hard to believe that he touched so many people,” Dave says about his ordinary pet-turned-celebrity. “It’s really overwhelming.”


Great Danes are usually very gentle, which is a good thing. Once when I was sitting in my car waiting for someone to come back a man leading a Great Dane walked by. I could have reached out the window and put my hand on its back. It was as tall as the window of my car. They are among the more beautiful dogs to me, to be so large. Their fur is fine and short – it looks like velvet.



Biden to Roker: 'I got so much heat' for inaugural parade handshake 
That handshake Al Roker snagged from the vice president during the inaugural parade earlier this year?
Yeah, it got Joe Biden in hot water.
“I got in so much trouble for coming over in the inauguration day parade with you,” he told Al Roker. “I got so much heat!”
The vice president took a break from viewing flood-ravaged Colorado communities to razz Roker about that infamous handshake. It took place while Roker was along the rope lines of the Jan. 21 parade commemorating President Obama’s second inauguration.
Roker had repeatedly called out to the vice president, urging him to come over for a handshake. Biden recounted the moment for FEMA administrator Craig Fugate following an interview the pair had just conducted.
“So I walked out and they said, ‘eh, that Biden. He’s running for president, man. He must be — he went to see Al Roker,’” the vice president recalled.
That’s when Roker went in for the big ask.
“The invitation is open at any time for you to come do the TODAY show,” he said.
Biden laughed off the invite, although he acknowledged, “I may need a job soon, you don’t know.”
“You’d be great,” Roker assured him.
TODAY is standing by.


People can't just “live” once they get into high government office. Every move has to be carefully considered to work with the Secret Service. The most appealing thing about Biden is that he is more relaxed than many politicians, and is full of quips. I do think he is bright enough to be President and make difficult decisions, though I wonder if he will run against Hillary Clinton. This next election will be very exciting for Democrats if Hillary runs. I think she has a chance to get the nomination, and I will probably vote for her if she does run.


Well, that's the news. It's time to go do errands.