Saturday, May 31, 2014


News Clips For The Day


http://news.yahoo.com/daughter-of-newtown-victim-speaks-out-against-joe-the-plumber-135839094.html

'Joe the Plumber' an out-of-touch gun 'extremist,' says Sandy Hook principal's daughter
'I’m sorry my loss inconveniences you, Joe,' writes daughter of fallen school chief
By  Mike Krumboltz, Yahoo News
May 30, 2014

In a column she wrote for the Daily Beast,Erica Lafferty , who lost her mother in the Newtown, Connecticut, school shootings in 2012, ridicules as "disgusting" recent comments Samuel “Joe the Plumber” Wurzelbacher made about the Santa Barbara shootings.

Wurzelbacher, who became something of a celebrity during the 2008 presidential campaign after a debate between President Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, recently wrote an open letter to the parents of the University of California, Santa Barbara, college students who were killed earlier this month.

"As harsh as this sounds — your dead kids don't trump my Constitutional rights," Wurzelbacher wrote on BarbWire.com.

Lafferty, whose mother, Dawn Hochsprung, was the principal of Sandy Hook Elementary and one of 27 victims of the massacre, responded, "I’m sorry my loss inconveniences you, Joe. But you’re the one who’s out of touch."

Wurzelbacher's comments, Lafferty wrote, "encapsulate the id of the small faction of extremists who are influencing our country’s gun laws."

Richard Martinez, whose son Christopher was among the six students killed in Santa Barbara, has become an outspoken proponent of gun control. Speaking of politicians who would offer him their condolences for his loss, Martinez said, "I don’t care about your sympathy. ... Get to work and do something."

Wurzelbacher wrote, "Mr. Martinez and anyone calling for more restrictions on American’s rights need to back off and stop playing into the hands of the folks who merely capitalize on these horrific events for their own political ends."

Lafferty, in her op-ed, wrote, "It’s actually refreshing to see his [Wurzelbacher's] comments so unvarnished, so closely removed from this poor kid’s murder. And I wouldn’t have dignified his disgusting comments with a response if it didn’t follow such a disturbing pattern among gun extremists in this country."



http://www.thedailybeast.com/topics/politics.html

Joe the Plumber’s ‘Dead Kid’ Callousness
Erica Lafferty
May 29, 2014

My mother was the principal of Sandy Hook elementary. I’m sorry my loss inconveniences you, Joe. But you’re the one who’s out of touch.

Every day in this country 86 lives are cut short with guns. Multiply that number by 365 and you get more than 30,000 families who suffer from gun violence over the course of a year.

My mother was one of the 86 on December 14, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. A gunman entered the school where she was the principal, and in just minutes he murdered 26 children and educators. She died protecting her students, and now there’s a massive void in my family where my mom and my best friend once was. This past week, hundreds of families experienced similar pain—some in Santa Barbara, and many more scattered in communities throughout the country.

In the 18 months since my mom was killed I’ve decided to use my voice to limit the number of families who have to go through what I went through. In my advocacy work with Everytown for Gun Safety I’ve met hundreds of other gun violence survivors who made the same choice.

So as we enter the world of advocacy—making pleas for such “tyrannical” measures as criminal background checks on gun purchases or gun safety precautions to keep toddlers from shooting themselves—what’s the response from the other side? I’ll give you a few examples.

My dear friend Jennifer Longdon, a gun owner herself, was shot in 2004 sitting in a car with her fiancé. The gunshots paralyzed her, but they gave the gun violence prevention movement a fierce advocate willing to travel the country to speak out. Her focus: keeping guns out of dangerous hands and saving lives.

During a trip to the NRA convention this year, a gun extremist recognized her at the Indianapolis airport. He had seen her face on TV, and decided to spit on her as retribution. Years earlier, Jennifer got home from a gun violence prevention event and found another gun extremist waiting for her at her front door. He pointed a water-gun in her face and said, “Don’t you wish you had a gun now, bitch?” before taking off.

There’s also Steve Barton. On a bike trip across the country he wound up in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado to see The Dark Knight, where he was shot in the neck and down his torso. He became an activist and received death threats for his advocacy. Gun extremists claimed his story was fabricated and that he was never in the theater to begin with, even though he had the scars to prove it.

Then there was the statement I saw this week from “Joe the Plumber.” Yes, you may be saying to yourself, “I vaguely recall that name from heaps of media coverage several lifetimes ago.” He’s the Ohio plumber turned Sarah Palin-surrogate turned failed congressional candidate, and this week he told the courageous father of a Santa Barbara shooting victim, Richard Martinez, “Your dead kids don’t trump my constitutional rights.” Never mind that none of the solutions being discussed by Martinez or any other gun violence prevention advocates in any way threaten the Second Amendment.

It’s actually refreshing to see his comments so unvarnished, so closely removed from this poor kid’s murder. And I wouldn’t have dignified his disgusting comments with a response if it didn’t follow such a disturbing pattern among gun extremists in this country.

In fact, his comments quite clearly encapsulate the id of the small faction of extremists who are influencing our country’s gun laws. Your loss doesn’t matter if it inconveniences me one bit. Gun violence may be real—and it may be 20 times worse here than in any other developed country—but I don’t have a solution for it, except to buy more guns and intimidate more victims.

I know the vast majority of gun owners in America are good, smart, compassionate people. I’ve met them in the last year and a half all across the country. Many of them are NRA members whom I spoke with at each of the last two conventions. This isn’t just a hunch I have from small anecdotes; it’s backed up by lots of data. In fact, a poll of gun owners taken by Republican pollster Frank Luntz found that 82 percent of gun owners—and 74 percent of NRA members—support common-sense background checks.

Given how many gun owners are on our side of the debate—not surprising, when you consider 90 percent of the country shares the sentiment—you would think the gun extremists like Joe the Plumber would get drowned out. We need responsible gun owners to stand up and say “enough is enough.” If prioritizing guns over dead kids makes you angry, stand up and drown his words out with action.  

When I watched Martinez’s speech on TV I was struck by his strength and courage. Those of us who join the club of gun violence survivors do it unwillingly. Sadly, membership has never been higher. We join the club in varying circumstances, from different areas of the country, with unique backgrounds. But I think I speak for many of us when I say Martinez’s words could not have been more true: “I don’t care about your sympathy…Get to work and do something.” At Everytown, we’re trying to fulfill his wish by getting Americans to fill out a postcard to send to their elected officials with one simple message: “Not one more.” 

We can all learn from his strength and do our part to save lives.




“Every day in this country 86 lives are cut short with guns. Multiply that number by 365 and you get more than 30,000 families who suffer from gun violence over the course of a year.” Jennifer Longdon, a gun safety advocate and friend of Lafferty has had two harrowing experiences with gun extremists. “During a trip to the NRA convention this year, a gun extremist recognized her at the Indianapolis airport. He had seen her face on TV, and decided to spit on her as retribution. Years earlier, Jennifer got home from a gun violence prevention event and found another gun extremist waiting for her at her front door. He pointed a water-gun in her face and said, “Don’t you wish you had a gun now, bitch?” before taking off.” These are not well-balanced, intelligent actions. They are the sign of a kind of hysteria that the NRA promotes.

All most gun bills are trying to do is prevent nut jobs and criminals from getting their hands on a gun, so they want a background check performed, even at gun shows. They also tend to limit the number of bullets that go into the magazine of automatic weapons, and the power of those guns. Nobody needs an automatic weapon at all, as they are not appropriate for hunting or target practice, and I am for making them illegal entirely. They're only good for drive by shootings and paramilitary organizations.

Years ago the NRA (mistakenly, I'm sure) sent me one of their letters promoting their organization and claiming extreme abuses by the government against gun owners rights. I laughed and threw it away. It was so blatantly radical that it was humorous. I'm sure some people, though, when they get one of those letters, are aroused to such a height of righteous indignation and approval that they will send them a check immediately and join their organization. To me, people like that are not mentally balanced. They're paranoid. The NRA sweeps them up like a magnet does iron filings.

I'm somewhere in between the camps on gun ownership. My father owned a shotgun, a 22 rifle and a colt 45. He built and varnished a gun cabinet with a glass front so he could see and admire his guns, but it was kept locked and the guns were not loaded. He hunted and liked to target shoot with the 45. I was taught how to handle a gun and do a little shooting. I am at this time very little interested in guns, and luckily I don't think I need one for self-protection. I would rather have a dog any day of the week.

Even my father, though, didn't “love” guns like some of these people do. I used to know a woman here in Jacksonville who had a veritable arsenal in her bedroom. There is simply no need for that. You never hear of anyone “accidentally” being killed with someone's bare hands. It takes great fury or fear to do that. Many killings, if the person hadn't owned that gun, simply wouldn't have happened.

Having said that, I wouldn't prevent sane people who don't have a police record from owning maybe half a dozen guns, but these huge collections and paramilitary weapons should not be allowed, in my book. Adam Lanza came from such a home with an arsenal available to him. His mother was a gun enthusiast. Unfortunately she didn't prevent him from getting one of the guns, with which he shot her before going to the school. So much for good parenting skills and responsible gun ownership. The boy had been repeatedly beaten up by students at the Sandy Hook School and broke down, one day, deciding to take vengeance on them. He should have been hospitalized and treated for his mental illness, or given karate lessons, but neither thing happened. Without his mother's gun collection the shooting simply wouldn't have occurred, though. I simply wish our country weren't so full of paranoid people who won't allow common sense gun laws to go through the system and be enacted. It's one of the things about our country that saddens me when I think too much about it. For now, though, I've had my say and I'm going to stop thinking about it! Off to another subject.




http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/black-bear-photographed-lying-hammock-article-1.1811853

A black bear was coolly photographed lying in a Daytona Beach, Fla., hammock Thursday night after an eventful day of knocking over trash cans and scaring residents, WESH reported.

BY NINA GOLGOWSKI 
Friday, May 30, 2014

SEE IT: Black bear photographed lying in hammock — for 20 minutes 

Even bears need to take a load off.

A resourceful black bear was coolly photographed lying in a Daytona Beach, Fla., hammock Thursday after an eventful day of knocking over trash cans and scaring residents, WESH reported.

For an astounding 20 minutes the clever bear was reported as basking on his back by a tip-toeing photographer from about 60 feet away.
Rafael Torres, who bravely snapped the silly photos, said the bear didn't appear to mind.

After a leisurely break, the bear eventually climbed back onto all fours and padded back into the woods around 8:15 p.m.
Torres, who previously photographed the bear prowling around a neighborhood cul-de-sac, said that this was the first time he's seen a bear around the hammock.



You really need to see the television footage of this. The bear is totally relaxed, lying on his back with his legs stretched out. He looks just like a man lying there. It does show how intelligent bears are. However, as cute as this is, it's not a good thing to have bears so fearlessly roaming around in towns, and it's happening more and more. There was also a mountain lion once, and in the city of Jacksonville there are any number of foxes, poisonous snakes, raccoons, once a black bear, many feral cats and once a coyote. These animals carry rabies and will attack if provoked.

I wouldn't like for them to be shot, but they should be tranquilized and moved off into a deep woodland somewhere. They say it happens so much now because the human population pressure is causing our suburbs to move farther and farther out of town into what once was animal habitat. The animals, once they find out what a trash can is, come in and make themselves at home.

I'm fascinated with it, but I don't really like it. A teenager was in the news here tonight for the fact that a fox bit him. He strangled the fox, killing it and it is being tested for rabies, but meanwhile he is taking the shots as a precaution. Every year we have rabies reports here in Jacksonville. There are wooded areas surrounding several creeks that go well into this city, and in those woods are wild animals. It makes me uneasy, but of course I'm safe in this area. There's no water and woods nearby here. Animals are cute, but I want to go out into the woods to see them.




Internal Sheriff's Probe Launched in Isla Vista Massacre – NBC
The investigation comes as officials were called to question over actions made during welfare check of Isla Vista killer

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department has launched an internal investigation into the actions of deputies before and during last week's rampage by a community college student who killed six UCSB students, NBC4's I-Team has learned.

The news comes a day after the department said that deputies knew about disturbing YouTube videos posted by Elliot Rodger three weeks before the rampage, but did not watch them.

Updates: Download the NBCLA News App

In addition to looking at all angles of the department's response, the probe will also examine how authorities handled their first welfare check on April 30 of Rodger, 22.

Six officials -- four deputies, a university police officer and a dispatcher in training -- went out on that call, officials said. Officials said they sent a bigger response because they "were familiar with Rodger" from a call in January in which he alleged his roommate stole candles from him.

During that call, deputies conducted no search of his apartment and determined he was not a threat, saying they found him "to be shy, timid and polite."

When questioned about reported disturbing videos he had posted online, Rodger told them he was having trouble fitting in and the videos were a way of expressing himself.

Typically, the department sends two deputies to a welfare check, officials said.

Rodger stabbed three of his roommates, then shot and killed three others in a spree across the college town of Isla Vista before shooting himself while being pursued by deputies.

Complete Coverage: Tragedy in Isla Vista

Sheriff's officials would not say why deputies did not review Rodgers' videos at the time they learned of them. The videos were the catalyst to generate the call to check on Rodgers' well being.

"We have provided the information we are able to at this time," said Kelly Hoover, a department spokeswoman.

This comes as the county's top law enforcement officer, Bill Brown, is running for re-election on Tuesday.




“The news comes a day after the department said that deputies knew about disturbing YouTube videos posted by Elliot Rodger three weeks before the rampage, but did not watch them.” Rodger said of those videos that he was “expressing himself” about his problems “fitting in.” The police, though they sent six officers out to see him, didn't stay long and didn't intervene. The article said that Rodger had called police in January over a complaint that his roommate had “stolen candles from him,” and that's why they sent so many officers when they went to see him. I have to ask, why was he using candles, why would he get so upset even if they were taken, and why would the roommate take them away? I think the January visit needs to be explained further.

A more important precaution if they suspected Rodger was mentally deranged, would have been for the officers to have had a mental health professional with them when talking to Rodger. Modern police departments should hire such people at least as consultants. In all the murder mysteries I read they do. Of course, real police departments are not as fully funded most of the time as those in mystery books, don't have all those computer professionals to track suspects, and too often still don't really “believe in” mental health issues. Actually, the police have improved over the years, but a police officer from another force was on the news talking about this case and he said that they should have had a psychologist with them, so some cities are doing that. Too bad they didn't in this case.





Baby fever heading for Chinese couples?
By SETH DOANE CBS NEWS May 30, 2014

CHANGSHA, China -- China is hoping for a new baby boom, after a landmark decision to loosen its limit of one child per family.

This week, three more provinces, including Henan, the most populous, said they would join dozens of others and allow some families to have a second child.

CBS News met a couple that is thinking about it.

Cherry Jing and her husband Leo would have faced a huge fine - up to six-times their income - if they had another child in addition to their son Michael.

They were planning on it before the policy changed.

"Maybe he will feel lonely and he doesn't have siblings to share his toys," said Cherry.

China's one child policy was implemented more than 30-years ago. Promoted in propaganda posters.

It was designed to slow population growth and reduce the financial burden of raising kids.

But last November the government announced it was making a change.

China's ruling Communist Party can be vague about why it is making reforms. When it comes to China's "one child" policy it said it is trying to balance population growth and create a younger workforce.

Nearly 200 million people in China are now over the age of 60. And for the first time in history of communist China, the labor force is shrinking.

Now up to 20 million more couples could have a second child.

Although Leo has does not want to have a second child as much as Cherry does.

"I'm not wedded to the idea, because, it brings so much financial pressure," said Leo.

The subject was sensitive enough that Cherry switched to Chinese during the interview with CBS.

"How can you not want (another baby)?" she asked her husband.

Whether this household will exercise their newfound freedom is yet to-be-determined.




“It was designed to slow population growth and reduce the financial burden of raising kids. But last November the government announced it was making a change. China's ruling Communist Party can be vague about why it is making reforms. When it comes to China's "one child" policy it said it is trying to balance population growth and create a younger workforce.” I have been concerned about world population growth for decades – issues like how those people will be fed, not to mention increasing use of fossil fuels and the denuding of lands that were open for natural preservation and forests – but the law in China that each family could only have one child was such an attack on human rights it was appalling. There were stories about women in China aborting their babies when they found out they were girls. In China, as in so many parts of the world, boy children are much preferred. I would like to think that the young family featured in this article will now have a girl to balance out their family. I'm glad to see the Chinese government opening up on this issue, even if it is just a little bit of improvement.





Nursing homes in Germany serve 3D-printed food
CBS NEWS May 30, 2014

In Germany, a company is using 3D printing technology to make food. Actual, real food that supposedly tastes good.

Elderly patients living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities often have trouble chewing and swallowing. So, the European Union is funding a consortium to help further develop 3D-printed "smoothfood" that uses pureed food to create a more appetizing-looking meal.

Smoothfood, originally created by a company called Biozoon, looks pretty much like regular food, and reportedly tastes it, but has a consistency of pureed food that allows elderly patients to eat without choking. Developed in 2010, the concept has been adopted in over 1,000 retirement homes in Germany, according to Wired UK.

There are only six foods available as smoothfoods: Cauliflower, peas, chicken, pork, potatoes and pasta. The food is cooked, pureed, and strained, then mixed with a secret texturizer and "printed" into familiar food shapes. Sandra Forstner, the project manager at Biozoon, assured the food blog Munchies that the 3D-printed food tastes just like normal food.

"It is made from fresh ingredients, so the taste doesn't change," she told Munchies. "One of our goals is not to change the flavor; the texturizing system doesn't change it."

Biozoon is now working with a consortium of 14 companies from five countriescalled PERFORMANCE (which stands for PERsonalised FOod using Rapid MAnufacturing for the Nutrition of elderly ConsumErs), which has recieved over $4 million from the E.U. to develop the supply chain.

Still, there are still obstacles before the smoothfoods concept catches on. Old-fashioned pureed dishes take less time, effort and money -- so many nursing homes have been reluctant to switch.

"We found that because the meals are more appealing in terms of appearance and taste, people look forward to eating again," Mathias Kück, PERFORMANCE project coordinator and owner of Biozoon, said in a press release in April. "This is why PERFORMANCE wants to bring the smoothfood concept to the next level and industrialise it. Only then can we cut costs and also make it available for home care."




“Biozoon is now working with a consortium of 14 companies from five countriescalled PERFORMANCE (which stands for PERsonalised FOod using Rapid MAnufacturing for the Nutrition of elderly ConsumErs), which has received over $4 million from the E.U. to develop the supply chain.” This is one more thing to look forward to as I age. Thankfully, though I have spent a small fortune on bridges and crowns, I still have teeth. Since nursing homes have been cooking and then pureeing the food in their own kitchens, this should become a hit as soon as it becomes less expensive. Unfortunately there are only six foods available right now, but I'm sure that will change as it catches on.





Anatomy Of A Dance Hit: Why We Love To Boogie With Pharrell – NBC
by MICHAELEEN DOUCLEFF
May 30, 2014

There's no doubt Pharrell's "Happy" is the biggest hit of the year so far. It spent 15 weeks at the top of the Billboard 100 and inspired hundreds of fan videos on YouTube.

Just a few weeks ago, six Iranian teenagers got arrested for posting a video of themselves dancing to the catchy song.

So what is it about "Happy" that triggers a nearly uncontrollable need to tap your foot, bob your head or move to the rhythm in some way?

It may be more about what's missing from the song than what's there.

Last month neuroscientists at Aarhus University in Denmark published a study showing that danceable grooves have just the right amount of gaps or breaks in the beats. Your brain wants to fill in those gaps with body movement, says the study's lead author, Maria Witek.

"Gaps in the rhythmic structure, gaps in the sort of underlying beat of the music — that sort of provides us with an opportunity to physically inhabit those gaps and fill in those gaps with our own bodies," she says.

A few years ago, Witek set out to figure out which songs got people onto the dance floor.

She created an online survey and gave people drum patterns to listen to. Some had really simple rhythms with regular beats. Others had extremely complex rhythms, with lots of gaps where you'd expect beats to be. Finally there were drumming patterns that fell in the middle of those two extremes. They have a regular, predictable beat, but also some pauses or gaps.

Witek says that people all over the world agreed on which drum patterns made them most want to dance: "Not the ones that have very little complexity and not the ones that had very, very high complexity," she says, "but the patterns that had a sort of a balance between predictability and complexity."

These rhythms offer enough regularity so that we can perceive the underlying beat, Witek and her team reported in the journal PLOS ONE. But they also need enough gaps or breaks to invite participants to synchronize to the music.

So which popular songs on the radio today have this optimal amount of complexity?

"I think the recent single by Pharrell, 'Happy,' is a very good example," Witek says.

The song is layered with predictable beats and complex, syncopated ones. The drums, the piano, the clapping and even Pharrell's voice create inviting gaps, she says.

But Pharrell isn't the only one who knows about this trick. Classic dance tunes in disco, funk, hip-hop and rhythm and blues also hit this sweet spot of syncopation, Witek says.

"Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder — those guys have a lot of tracks which seem to have this balance between predictability and complexity when it comes to the rhythmic structure," she says.

And don't forget about Ray Charles. His 1950s hit "I've Got a Woman" made everybody want to hit the dance floor.

But it's not just a song's syncopation that gets you to go from tapping your foot in your chair to standing up and full-out dancing. It's also the song's layers of rhythm, says neuroscientist Daniel Levitin at McGill University.

"In 'I've Got a Woman,' the drums are keeping a very steady rhythm. The piano is syncopated and the vocals are exquisitely nuanced in time," Levitin says. "It's very difficult to sing along with him [Ray Charles] exactly the way he does it."

So we don't sing with Charles. Instead we want to move with him.

"The more rhythmically complex the music is ... the easier it is to engage different body parts," Levitin says, "because they can be synchronizing with different aspects of the music."

So you're swinging your shoulders with the snare drums. You're bobbing your head with the piano. "And you might be wiggling your hips in half-time or something like that," he says.

Before you know it, you're up out of your chair and doing the twist.




I'm glad to have been young during the musical trends of rock and roll and rock. I did enjoy doing something active, and though I didn't take any dancing lessons or learn all the various “steps” that came out, I could move around and it did bring a sense of happiness. My first husband, with whom I had a basic personality conflict, once said with great rancor “I hate syncopation!” He had no sense of rhythm and simply wouldn't get up and dance. He also hated the freedom of such movements, I think. He wasn't a fan of “freedom” to the degree that I was. He was absolutely irritated by the “gap” in the rhythm instead of attracted by it. He was strictly cerebral, conservative, passive aggressive and inhibited. I have since gravitated toward men who were more energetic and relaxed, assertive and who did have a sense of rhythm, even if they were more likely to try to dominate me.

I am convinced that music goes back to the earliest times, and probably was built into the brain of Homo Sapiens. Rhythms from places like Africa are very complex and intriguing, and are usually accompanied by dancing. Other musical rhythms are likely to induce meditation or simply a greater level of energy and openness. One of the best courses I ever took was called “International Folk Music.” We listened to selections from a wide range of countries, and the textbook included information about classic music forms and musical instruments. That course didn't add much to my job resume, but I do think that the liberal arts courses are one of the most important reasons for a young person to go to college. We need to work toward being a more civilized society, and a music, anthropology or literature course helps that process along. People should make time in their pre law coursework for something humanistic.