O/T stories 09/18
PUSSSYKATT
Bill Hoffmann, NY POST Wire Services
--A dumber-than-dumb crook was nabbed after he returned to the bank he robbed
to deposit the stolen cash into his account. Jesse Leonard Youngblood, 36, will
now be cooling his heels in the slammer for 33 years to life for the heist at a
Bank of America branch in Oroville, Calif.
--Brent Allen was getting away with snapping photos under girls' skirts until
he began to brag about it, police said. "This one is my favorite. She isn't
wearing panties," Allen, 42, allegedly said as he showed his sicko handiwork to
waitress Christa Reynolds at the Rhinos and Jocks sports bar in Austin, Texas.
Reynolds went to the cops, and now Allen could face up to two years behind
bars.
--A New Zealand outdoor-clothing company is changing its name for the
Australian market because guys there don't want the word "fairy" on their
coats. Fairydown is becoming Zone because "the guys in Australia just didn't
feel comfortable . . . in a jacket with Fairydown written all over it," said
company marketing director Hugo Venteer. Sir Edmund Hillary, a proud Kiwi who
wore Fairydown during his famed Mount Everest climb, says the Aussies are being
ridiculous.
--Scientists in Scotland have discovered fossils of the world's oldest
genitals. The penis of the 400 million-year-old daddy-long-legs is remarkably
similar to the modern-day species, New Scientist magazine says. The previous
oldest penis, dating back 100 million years and found in Brazil, belonged to an
ostracod - an early crustacean related to crabs, shrimps and water fleas.
--Undertakers say they expect a boom in upcoming years, thanks to the large
crop of aging baby boomers. "We don't want people to die, but if they are dead,
we want to provide them with a good service," said Henry Keizer,
secretary-general of the International Cremation Federation, at a weekend
conference in Sofia, Italy. The conference also discussed the problem of
old-fashioned crematoria, which Keizer said are "not much different from a very
large pizza oven."
* * *
God's Word Goes Glossy
Fox News’ Alicia Acuna and The Associated Press
Instead of fawning over a hot young actor in Tiger Beat, teen girls are now
going ga-ga for Jesus’ teachings in Revolve, a magazine that’s slicked up
the New Testament for girls ages 12 to 17.
Christian bookstores are selling out of the $14.99, 388-page magazine, in which
Holy Writ is jumbled alongside sassy sidebars, splashy headlines and color
photos — all minus the sexual titillation of other teen mags like Seventeen.
“We wanted to make sure that it was something that teen girls liked and could
identify with, but we wanted to make sure it was theologically in line with
what pastors are teaching," Laurie Whaley, editor of Revolve, told Fox News.
Revolve employs a casual writing style and takes inspiration from today's hot
commercial products including David Letterman's Top Ten list and magazine-like
sidebars on dating, faith and peer pressure.
One sidebar on relationships gives the advice: "Remember to be friends first;
put the romance second. That way you know it will last longer than the
come-and-go emotions."
While the Top Ten lists are Letterman-like, they avoid the late-night talker's
witty jabs.
According to the magazine, among the "Top Ten random things to know about being
a 'Revolve' [magazine] girl" are "don't call guys" and "don't kiss and tell."
And on Revolve's Top Ten list of fun ways to date are going on "a double date
with your parents" and taking cookies to a nursing home.
While some may consider Revolve "dorky" rather than "way cool," the glossy
version of the good word appears to be a hit. One teenager enthusiastically
told the Twin City's Pioneer Press that her peers were all impressed with the
magazine.
"My friends, they don't like to read the Bible, but once they saw it they were,
like, 'I'm going to have to get me one of those,'" Brooke Nichols, 15, told the
paper.
The magazine, put out by the teens' publishing division of the Nashville-based
Thomas Nelson, has even impressed media-savvy critics. New York's Daily News
proclaimed the magazine "clever" and "funky."
Some experts say giving girls a choice to read about God in a way that's easily
accessible will benefit them.
“We came to realize we need an avenue, a venue to be able to tell teen girls
‘You're special, you're worthwhile, you're valuable,’” said Susie
Shellenberger, author of "Girl Talk With God."
But not everyone agrees that having questions and answers like the ones in the
"Blab" section of the magazine are helpful. Among the Q&As: "Was Jesus a
vegetarian? No: Plenty of fish, some lamb. What's wrong with following
horoscopes? It's condemned in Scripture."
"The danger there is that they're not reading the Scripture for itself,"
Russell Dalton, author of "Video, Kids and Christian Education" told the
Pioneer Press. "Having those sort of statements next to the Scripture changes
the way they read the text and what they think they're reading it for."
But adding splash to the Bible’s message isn’t a new idea, Lynn Clark, a
sociologist and author who has written about teens, Christianity and pop
culture, told Fox News.
“Since the very beginnings of Protestantism there's been a relationship
between trying to reach people through commercial means and using whatever
products are available at the time to do that," she said.
Revolve's text is also sprinkled with statistical factoids, like this one
nestled next to Jesus' talk with the Samaritan woman who had many men (John 4):
"Didya Know: 63 percent of teens who have had sex say they wish they had
waited."
Between all this teeny-bopper talk, Revolve does provide the entire New
Testament, all 27 books. Each biblical book begins with a brief introduction
written in chatty magazine style.
For instance, the editors give an explanation of the differences among the four
Gospels: "In Matthew, you won't find as much dramatic action as you'll discover
in Mark, or as many spotlights on compassion as in Luke, or even as much proof
of the deity of Jesus as you'll uncover in John. But in Matthew, you'll find
the most complete record of what Jesus taught."
Matthew's message, the editors add, is: "Totally complete. Totally true."
* * *
Band's plan for onstage suicide is investigated...
http://www.baynews9.com/site/NewsStory.cfm?storyid=24731
The leader of the shock/rock band Hell on Earth took to the airwaves Wednesday
to explain why someone would want to commit suicide during the group's concert
at the State Theater in St. Petersburg next month.
Billy Tourtelot told 98 Rock's Bubba the Love Sponge - aka Todd Clem - that a
terminally ill person in the Bay area contacted him via email through the
band's web site. He says the suicide is not a stunt to gain publicity for Hell
on Earth.
Florida Statute 782.08
Click here to read the statute regarding assisting self-murder.
"They'd rather have an assisted suicide, but because of the way the laws are
written, they can't do it," Tourtelot said in an interview Wednesday morning
with Bubba. "So, bringing dying with dignity to the forefront is really what
it's all about."
This is a copy of the letter from the person that allegedly wants to commit
suicide on Oct. 4.
Tourtelot even read a suicide letter, allegedly written by the unnamed person.
The letter read as follows: "I have chosen this event on Saturday, October 4th
for my self deliverance to raise awareness of dying with dignity. I am of
rational mind and do not hold Hell on Earth or the State Theatre [sic] liable
for my actions."
That statement is not enough to convince local law enforcement officials to
allow a live suicide on stage at the state theater. The St. Petersburg Police
Department and the State Attorney's Office are working diligently to find out
what their options are as far as the law is concerned.
St. Petersburg City Councilman Bill Foster says he feels pretty confident that
the event won't happen at the State Theater on October 4.
Foster, a city council member and attorney, says the assisted suicide will not
take place in St. Petersburg.
"This activity will not be tolerated in the City of St. Petersburg," Foster
said.
The councilman, who happens to be an attorney, cites the Florida Statute that
makes assisted suicide a second-degree felony.
"If it's a stunt, then they have very right to perform this stunt on stage,"
Foster added. "If somebody loses their life, they will be prosecuted as
conspirators."
On Bubba's show, Tourtelot insists that he's not doing anything illegal.
* * *
Roaming rodent gets first-class return to Utah
By Nancy Isles Nation, IJ reporter
An adventurous adult male chipmunk is being flown from Marin to Utah in a
private plane today to rejoin rodents he left behind after he took a road trip
to Terra Linda.
The chipmunk, known by staff at WildCare in San Rafael as "chipmunk 1344 from
Utah," apparently didn't know he was hitching a ride when he hopped into Dixie
Goldsby's Honda Insight while she camped in southeastern Utah a little more
than a week ago.
Goldsby didn't discover the stowaway until she returned home, and once she was
able to catch him she wanted to do the best she could for the creature.
She considered keeping him as a pet, but the Marin Humane Society told her it
is illegal to keep wild animals. So last week she brought him to WildCare, a
wildlife rehabilitation center.
Today, the chipmunk is being flown from Gnoss Field in Novato more than 700
miles to the campsite where Goldsby picked him up. Marin pilot Ray Romano
offered the use of his time and his Mooneyb aircraft and WildCare board member
Jan Wild, who has experience in wildlife releases, will go along.
Goldsby also will join the entourage. The chipmunk - numbered but not given a
name, per WildCare policy - will "have a story to tell," Goldsby joked.
"Most people would say if this was anywhere but Marin, people would just shoot
him," she said.
The trip will require more than $300 for gas, along with food and overnight
lodging for the humans.
WildCare is hoping animal lovers will donate money to help pay for the mission.
The nine-year-old WildCare: Terwilliger Nature Education and Wildlife
Rehabilitation is a nonprofit organization supported by community donations. It
receives no federal or state funds.
Some could interpret the chipmunk's return to Utah as an extreme measure. But
Karen Wilson, WildCare executive director, said it's better than the
alternative, which would be to euthanize the animal.
"We are trying to make the point of how each animal that comes through our
center, we do our best for," Wilson said. "Every animal is important and we try
to do everything we can for them."
The organization treats some 4,000 injured and orphaned animals a year and
provides nature education for 40,000 Bay Area school children each year.
Goldsby, 53, said the saga began when she was nearing the end of a mountain
biking trip and camped out at Canyonlands National Park for the night. She
noticed that a couple of chipmunks at her campsite seemed aggressive in seeking
out her organic snacks, and she saw one scamper out of her car when she left a
door open.
On the trip back to Marin, Goldsby began to suspect that something came along
for the ride after spending a night in Nevada and noticing a chocolate bar she
had left in the car had been nibbled.
When she finally returned to her Terra Linda home, too tired to unpack the car,
she discovered the next morning that a low-carb protein bar had been partially
eaten.
On the advice of a pet store operator, Goldsby made a trap out of a shoe box,
cutting a small hole in one end and placing peanut butter bait inside.
"I sat in my car really quietly and he climbed down from under the dashboard,"
Goldsby said. The chipmunk was startled when he saw her and raced back into
hiding. She got out of the car but checked the box after a short time and knew
she had captured the renegade.
Goldsby had a sense all along that the animal needed to be returned to its
home. She called mountain bike stores to see if workers knew anyone who would
be traveling to the area. Some poked fun at her and asked if she was into
crystals.
"If we couldn't get him back he'd be euthanized, so I did have an investment in
getting him back," said Goldsby, a clinical lab scientist.
It was networking that brought the effort together. WildCare has about 350
volunteers and there was an interest in getting the animal to his native
habitat because his instinct was to fatten up to get ready to hibernate through
the harsh Utah winter, according to Melanie Piazza, director of animal care.
"He's very stressed and trying to find ways to escape," Piazza said.
The chipmunk could not be released in Marin legally or ethically because he is
not native and because ecosystem balance is important, Piazza said.
"It would be like taking a human (from the city) and dropping him off in the
Adirondacks," Piazza said.
PHOTO: http://makeashorterlink.com/?R5EE26FE5
SEND EMAIL TO PUSSS...@aol.com
AGC FAQ and FUN STUFF
http://www.dreamwater.org/agc/MAINPAGES/AGCFAQ.html
BLIND ITEM REHASH:
http://www.dreamwater.org/agc/BLINDITEMS/MAINPAGE.html