And Even More Apocalypse News!

SPEARFISH, S.D. – The activist animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has asked school officials to change the name of Spearfish High School to "Sea Kitten High School." The new name would "reflect the gentle nature of its current marine namesake," the organization said in a letter to Steve Morford, Spearfish High School principal.
PETA said the letter is part of a new Sea Kitten campaign aimed at children.
If children were taught to refer to fish as "sea kittens," reflecting that fish, like cats and dogs, are "individuals" that "do have friendships," fewer fish might be killed for food or sport, said Pulin Modi, a PETA spokesman.
"We want people to realize that more fish are killed each year than all animals combined," he said. "They don't have the sympathy of more popular animals like cats and dogs."

More News the Apocalypse is Upon Us

NY man demands estranged wife pay him for kidney

A Long Island surgeon embroiled in a nearly four-year divorce proceeding wants his estranged wife to return the kidney he donated to her, although he says he'll settle for $1.5 million in compensation.

Dr. Richard Batista, a surgeon at Nassau University Medical Center, told reporters at his lawyer's Long Island office Wednesday that he decided to go public with his demand for kidney compensation because he has grown frustrated with the negotiations with his estranged wife.

"This is my last resort; I did not want to do this publicly," Batista said.

Apocalypse News

As stores close, Starbucks buys a jet
Starbucks bought a $45 million corporate jet last month at about the same time it told employees that it is reconsidering how much it will match in their 401(k) plans this year. The new jet, a Gulfstream 550, spent its first two weeks under Starbucks ownership in Hawaii, according to flight records at FlightAware.com.

My Christmas Present

I know, I know, Christmas was two weeks ago but I have used that two weeks to thoroughly road test my Christmas present. It is an Acer Aspire One Netbook. Tutelidge here, first there was a laptop, some with a big 17" screen (I have one of those and it is wonderful, but at about 8 pounds). Then came the Notebook with it's 12" screen and then presto! it shrunk into a Netbook with a 9" screen. My little netbook is sapphire blue, has a 160GB HDD and 3 USB 2.0 ports. It utilizes Windows XP (thank heavens) and has built in wi-fi, and........it weighs just a hair over two pounds. In it's leather sleeve it is about as big as a John Grisham hardback. The only drawback, and I am told by several of my children that it is not a drawback is that there is no optical drive. No CD, no DVD just 3 USB ports for a myriad of thumb drives. they are so cheap now that I went out and bought a half a dozen 4GB and a couple of 8GB ones. I keep my photos, documents and other stuff downloaded from my desktop on them. The wi-fi works seamlessly and if all of my neighbors (and the college across the street) hadn't encrypted their wireless networks I could piggyback off of theirs all day and night. The screen is bright and with the new Intel Atom processor it is surprisingly fast. The only small downside is the 2 hour maximum in battery mode. For me it is much easier to check emails and surf the web on this little jewel than to do it on my Blackberry. Plus I can write a document (the keyboard is 92% of a regular keyboard), so even my fat fingers can manage. I can even whip together a PowerPoint while having coffee and a scone. All of this for under $350! I am happy.

Bill Clinton: CIA Pick Panetta Can Keep a Secret

Concerns about the readiness of President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for director of Central Intelligence were put to rest today when former President Bill Clinton called his old Chief of Staff Leon Panetta “the perfect pick to head the CIA.”

Mr. Panetta has no previous experience in the intelligence community and served 16 years as a U.S. Congressman, raising questions at CIA headquarters in Langley, VA, about his ability to guard the nation’s secrets.

However, President Clinton, called him “a trustworthy public servant who knows how to keep his mouth shut.”

“Leon was by my side for two and half years,” said Mr. Clinton. “About 14 months of his service came during the time that I was not having sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky, in the White House. During all those months, no one ever knew what my chief of staff knew or didn’t know, nor do they know it now.”

Mr. Panetta has also been a vocal opponent of the use of torture, but Mr. Clinton said “that’s likely just a lasting effect of his close contact with the former First Lady.”

“Hillary made an impact on a lot of people that way,” he said. “Personally, I still can’t stand the thought that another human would have to endure loud, harsh noises and or the continual drip, drip, drip of Chinese water torture. She’s made Leon and me much more merciful toward even our enemies.”

Inventor of Hawaiian Shirt Dies

Those of you that know me know of my propensity for Hawaiian shirts and shorts 11 months out of the year. While I am no Tom Sellick (I guess I tend toward a rotund Jimmy Buffett) I like the look and feel of the shirt and I own about 40 of them just like Magnum P.I.

So it is with sadness that I pass on this news article.

You'd be forgiven for never hearing of designer Alfred Shaheen.
Yet he inspired one of the most colourful, amusing and unforgettable styles of fashion ever known - the Hawaiian shirt.
Sadly the pioneering textile manufacturer has died at age 86, his family have confirmed.
As tourists from the US to Hawaii after World War II, many began to bring home colorful but cheesy looking shirts and sundresses that would be cause for much amusement among friends.
Shaheen began to change that in 1948 when he opened Shaheen's of Honolulu and began designing, printing and producing "aloha" shirts, dresses and other ready-to-wear clothing of better quality.
Among those seen in Shaheen-designed shirts of that era was Elvis Presley, who wore one for the cover of his 1961 soundtrack album "Blue Hawaii."
Such Shaheen originals now sell for more than $500.
"Before Shaheen came along, there was no Hawaii garment industry. There were mom and pop stores but no real modern industry," Linda Arthur, a professor of textiles and clothing at Washington State University said.
By 1959, the year Hawaii became a state, he had more than 400 employees working for him and was grossing more than $4 million a year as the major player in the islands' garment industry.

Road Trip!

Finally after 5 months of searching I finally found a motorhome that I could afford and had the amenities that I wanted. I looked at a lot of them over the last 4 or 5 months some were nice, but something did not work (usually the refrigerator, a $1,500 item or the generator, about the same). Some were real dogs and some looked like dogs had lived in them. This one is a 1991 Pace Arrow 34 ft. model L. It has a little over 34,000 actual miles and to give you some idea of it's cost when new, the original buyer put down $29,000 and financed the balance for 12 years at $514 a month! If the original contract wouldn't have been included in the paperwork I wouldn't have believed it. The only thing missing in the 2" stack of papers and manuals was the owners manual, the holy grail of manuals that tells me where everything is and how to work it. (I keep having flashbacks to the movie RV when Robin Williams was trying to empty the sewer tank for the first time, not a pleasant rememberance.) I guess I will have to search eBay and Craigslist for awhile.