One step forward, Two steps back

BP and the US Coast Guard are backing off from the Deep Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico because of a Tropical Depression in the eastern gulf. Currently, it has sustained winds of 35 mph and a pressure of 1006 mb. The most recent reconnaissance shows no strengthening.

Tropical Depression Three is located north of Cuba and south of the Bahamas. It looks like it will threaten Florida and possibly the Gulf Coast states of Louisiana and Mississippi. If it were to sing east instead it would go into the Atlantic or skirt along Florida's east coast and the Georgian coast. That is if...

The cap which they have been testing will have to come off. With BP and the Coast Guard vacating the area for 10-14 days, there will be more oil in the gulf again.

We can only watch and pray. Again.

Bill O! Shit!

Bill O'Reilly managed to apologize only to then find something else. He said that she used the USDA banner to talk politics. That I will agree with him. Under the Hatch Act, as a political appointee, she cannot make political statements in public as a representative of the government.

I'd like to point out his rebuttal to Rachel Maddow: No, Bill. The station you work for is really that lame and stupid. And just because Fox leads in the ratings doesn't mean they're smarter. It just means Fox cornered the market on conservative TV viewers. Most of these viewers, I'm not saying all, seem to have no idea what journalism is. Or even integrity. I consider anybody that takes time - irregularly, let alone habitually - to cite their ratings, good fortune and success to be a vain, egotistical shit. It's a vice that is unbecoming, provincial and without class.

Seriously, countering someone's argument by stating that his channel leads the ratings as proof that the other is wrong is pure foolishness. Since when did higher ratings equal better programming? Look how many people watch reality TV shows! Are they the bastion of television excellence or a three ring circus? Does Bill's head still fit through the door or have they built his studio around him?

Just facts and all the facts!

After a few days of brutality in the media, Shirley Sherrod has made the truth known.

A little recap. Two days ago, Conservative Commentator Andrew Breitbart released a video clip of Shirley Sherrod, a USDA agent in charge of rural development in Georgia, saying that she would not help a poor white farmer. This is what was said in the clip of a larger speech that was delivered March 27 as it was posted on Fox News:

You know, the first time I was faced with helping a white farmer save his farm. He took a long time talking but he was trying to show me he was superior to me. I know what he was doing. But he had come to me for help. What he didn't know, while he was taking all that time trying to show me he was superior to me, was I was trying to decide just how much help I was going to give him.

I was struggling with the fact that so many black people had lost their farmland. And here I was faced with having to help a white person save their land, so I didn't give him the full force of what I could do.

So I took him to a white lawyer that had attended some of the training that we had provided because Chapter 12 bankruptcy had just been enacted for the family farm. So I figured if I take him to one of them, that his own kind would take care of him.

It was big news after that! Everyone ran with the story. But there were those who did dig deeper. Unfortunately, many did not. The Department of Agriculture was one and the NAACP was another.

The Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in response to the tape:

There is zero tolerance for discrimination at USDA, and I strongly condemn any act of discrimination against any person... We have been working hard through the past 18 months to reverse the checkered civil rights history at the department and take the issue of fairness and equality very seriously.

The NAACP stated

Racism is about the abuse of power. Ms. Sherrod had it in her position at USDA. According to her remarks, she mistreated a white farmer in need of assistance because of his race. We are appalled by her actions, just as we are with abuses of power against farmers of color and female farmers. Her actions were shameful. While she went on to explain in the story that she ultimately realized her mistake, as well as the common predicament of working people of all races, she gave no indication she had attempted to right the wrong she had done to this man.

All to make sure that we all knew they were against the actions of this Georgia woman. Tuesday, she was called three times by Secretary Vilsack asking for her resignation. While she was on the road form West Point, Georgia, she was told by the White House to resign. It was said that they wanted her to resign before Glenn Beck aired later that day. The White House has denied that they had anything to do with pressuring her to resign.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch - er, farm that is - the Spooner Family were willing to tell everyone that would listen that Shirley Sherrod was a great lady. She had helped them keep their farm decades ago and were still friends with her.

So, when I was watching The O'Reilly Factor last night, after the statements, the resignation and the Spooner Family's take on the past, why did Bill O'Reilly not mention the Spooners? He went with the clip as it was. He did not take a deeper look into it as he claims to do. Guess he only does that when it's white men and/or Republicans. Later, he argued that the lack of Black Panther coverage on the other networks meant they had less journalistic integrity. Apparently, they all have blinders on just not for the same stories.

But regardless of how hypocritical Bill O'Reily is, the clip in its entirety and the full context of her remarks have been released.

...if I take him to one of them, that his own kind would take care of him ... but that lawyer failed to help ... I did not discriminate against [the farmer]. And, in fact, I went all out to frantically look for a lawyer at the last minute because the first lawyer we went to was not doing anything to really help him. In fact, that lawyer suggested they should just let the farm go. The second attorney [was able to help the farmer] file Chapter 11 bankruptcy to help the family stay on the farm.

Working with him made me see that it's really about those who have versus those who haven't. They could be black, they could be white, they could be Hispanic. And it made me realize then that I needed to help poor people - those who don't have access the way others have.

The full video is now up for viewing on the NAACP's website.



The NAACP retracted their previous statement and has stated

With regard to the initial media coverage of the resignation of USDA Official Shirley Sherrod, we have come to the conclusion we were snookered by Fox News and Tea Party Activist Andrew Breitbart into believing she had harmed white farmers because of racial bias ... Having reviewed the full tape, spoken to Ms. Sherrod, and most importantly heard the testimony of the white farmers mentioned in this story, we now believe the organization that edited the documents did so with the intention of deceiving millions of Americans.

After the uproar regarding Ms. Sherrod's resignation, Tom Vilsack released a statement on the night of July 20, 2010 saying that the Department will "conduct a thorough review and consider additional facts".

Ms. Sherrod asserts that the NAACP was “the reason why this happened.” They got into a fight with the Tea Party, and all of this came out as a result of that.”She adds that "she might not want her job back if it's offered ... because of all the publicity surrounding what happened … how would I be treated once I'm back there? I just don't know ... I would have to be reassured on that."

On July 21, 2010, Fox News rejected any claims that they helped inflame the situation with a statement saying

[the network] did not make any mention of this story yesterday on the air until after Shirley Sherrod had already lost her job after Secretary Vilsack had already drawn his own conclusions — conclusions that the president apparently agreed with.

Later, the White House sought for an official review of the case. Tom Vilsack, meanwhile, sent an e-mail regarding the issue that states "I am of course willing and will conduct a thorough review and consider additional facts to ensure to the American people we are providing services in a fair and equitable manner."

Ms. Sherrod was at the CNN Center, watching live, when Robert Gibbs extended an apology to her. There, she stated that she had accepted the apology and welcomed the review although she felt that this experience was "bittersweet".

House Minority Leader John Boehner, a Republican, criticized Andrew Breitbart's airing of only a small portion of the video. He said, "It’s unfortunate that whoever laid this out there didn’t lay out the whole story, as opposed to a part of it... They only put a little piece of the story out there and people make judgments and they rush and they make bad decisions."

Last night, in an interview with CNN's Larry King, Andrew Breitbart responded to questions regarding his intentions of releasing the video saying that:

This was not about Shirley Sherrod. It's about me. This was about the NAACP attacking the Larry King Live show and this [the video of Ms. Sherrod] is showing racism at an NAACP event. I did not ask for Shirley Sherrod to be fired. I did not ask for any repercussions for Shirley Sherrod. They were the ones that took the initiative to get rid of her. I – I do not – I think she should have the right to defend herself. [R]acism is used by the left and the Democratic Party to shut up opposition [a]nd [by releasing the Sherrod video] I am showing you that people who live in glass houses should not be throwing stones.

Yeah... well, Fox News is not retracting the previous articles as good journalists do. They just do their spinning and leave things out there in the collective memory and internet so we can all stumble across it. I thought Fox News could sink no lower.

Last night on CNN, Anderson Cooper managed to dig into it and even put NAACP on the spot for their actions. ABC also gets a mention for taking the time to do research before making snap judgements. Guess I know where the real journalists are.

Governor signs $20M to Dugard

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday signed a $20 million settlement for Jaycee Dugard, a woman who was held captive for 18 years by a convicted rapist who had been under the supervision of the state.

Parole officers saw and spoke to Dugard during visits to the home of the man accused of holding her captive, but they never questioned why she was there, California officials disclose in newly released documents that figured in the settlement.

At least three parole officers spotted Dugard at the home of Phillip Garrido, a convicted rapist who had been under California state supervision since 1999, according to a June memo from the California attorney general's office. On at least one occasion, a parole officer spoke to her and one of her daughters, whom investigators say Garrido fathered during her captivity.

But those officers "failed to investigate their identities or their relationship to Garrido," the memo states.

The document outlined the $20 million settlement between Dugard and California authorities, which the state Legislature approved last week. It was drafted to brief state lawmakers on the settlement before their vote, said Christine Gasparac, an attorney general's office spokeswoman.

Dugard disappeared in 1991, at age 11, and was found in August 2009 at Garrido's home in Antioch, about 45 miles east of San Francisco. Garrido and his wife, Nancy, have pleaded not guilty to 29 felony counts in the case.

Responsibilty for Garrido's parole was transferred to California authorities in 1999.

A November 2009 investigation found parole officers failed to follow utility wires running from Garrido's house toward the shed where Dugard was held, didn't check out the presence of a 12-year-old girl during a visit or act on information that indicated Garrido had violated the terms of his release.

The June 25 memo concluded that while the state could have successfully defended some of the claims on procedural grounds, the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation "recognizes that this case has a unique and tragic character."

"Obviously, no amount of money could compensate these plaintiffs for what they have endured," it reads. But the settlement will provide Dugard and her daughters -- now teenagers -- with "the financial support that they will need to rebuild their lives."

The document estimates the family will need as much as $7 million alone for decades of counseling.

Bedbugs close Stores

A bedbug outbreak at two trendy New York retail shops has sounded the alarm among city residents and businesses, prompting calls for the city to examine how it deals with the prickly pests.

Hollister, a popular clothing store owned by Abercrombie & Fitch in the fashionable Soho neighborhood, remained closed Friday after a bedbug infestation was found earlier in the week, according to company spokeswoman Iska Hain. And an Abercrombie & Fitch store in South Street Seaport also has been closed by an infestation.

Abercrombie and Fitch said Friday afternoon the problem in the SoHo Hollister store had been taken care of and the shop will reopen Saturday morning.

"The company has requested guidance from the mayor's office on how businesses in Manhattan should deal with this issue," the company said in a news release. "In the meantime, the company's first priority continues to be its customers and associates."

The incidents mirror a sharp overall spike in bedbugs in recent years, yet efforts to combat the problem have mostly focused on residential buildings, leaving the issue of contamination in commercial spaces largely ignored.

"We've had them in banks, grocery stores, movie theaters, judge's chambers, schools, dentists' offices -- everywhere," said Jeff Eisenberg of PestAway, an exterminating company in Manhattan.

The problem, according to Eisenberg, is that bedbugs carry a stigma, which causes many cases to go unreported. "It's like a don't ask, don't tell policy," he said. "People don't tell their employers that they have bedbugs in their house" -- bedbugs that can hitch a ride to the workplace.

According to the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, it issued 4,811 violation notices to residential landlords for bedbug infestations in 2009, compared with 82 in the 2003-2004 fiscal year. For the first half of 2010, 1,976 bedbug violation notices have already been written.

However, such statistics represent only a fraction of bedbug cases in the city, as they come almost exclusively from buildings in the rental market. Owners of bedbug-infested residences are less likely to call 311, the city's non-emergency hotline, which then notifies the Housing Preservation Department.

Spies among Us!

Two suspects charged with having served as deep-cover Russian agents living in the United States have told investigators they are Russian citizens and have been living under false identities, according to a court document released Friday.

A letter from prosecutors opposing bail for the suspects said that the man known as Michael Zottoli is really a Russian named Mikhail Kutzik. The government also said the woman known as Patricia Mills is a Russian citizen named Natalia Pereverzeva.

Prosecutors said that the couple waived their rights to remain silent and made the admissions soon after being arrested at their Arlington, Virginia residence over the weekend. The two were living as a married couple and have two small children.

The government document also said searches of the couple's home and two safe-deposit boxes they rented revealed that they contained cash, passports and other identity documents bearing their false identities. Investigators said they found $80,000 in one of the safe-deposit boxes. It was divided into eight unmarked envelopes, each of which contained $10,000 in what appeared to be new $100 bills, they said.

The document said another safe-deposit box rented by the two held $20,000 along with passports and other documents bearing their fake identities. Prosecutors said a laptop found in the couple's home had been brought from Russia to the United States by a co-conspirator and given to Zottoli, as court papers referred to him, in March.

The revelations are contained in a letter from federal prosecutors opposing bail for the couple and for another suspect named Mikhail Semenko.

The pair and Semenko remain in custody in Northern Virginia. They waived their rights to ask for bail in hearings at U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia on Friday afternoon. Zottoli and Mills, as court papers called her, appeared in court wearing dark-green jail jumpsuits emblazoned with "prisoner" on the back of each. They did not speak to each other in court. They spoke only to give their assent when the judge asked if they realized they were waiving their rights to ask for bail.

Prosecutors had hoped to get the suspects moved quickly to New York to stand trial with seven others arrested in the case. But attorneys for the three requested a preliminary hearing a judge scheduled for July 7.

Semenko appeared at a separate hearing afterward. He too was dressed in a green jail jumpsuit. He spoke quietly with a slight Russian accent when asked if he understood he was relinquishing his right to ask for bail.

Magistrate Judge Theresa Buchanan ordered that the three continue to be held in jail and cited the government's contention they are dangers to the community and a flight risk.

Some hit by Oil Spill may not get paid

The new head of the Gulf Coast disaster's claims fund says his first two priorities will be to cut bigger checks and send them out faster to the oil spill's economic victims.

In his first appearance before Congress since taking on the job, Kenneth Feinberg on Wednesday criticized BP's process for compensating those who have lost their livelihoods in the spill's wake. The oil company has paid out almost $130 million so far on 41,000 claims -- but more than 80,000 claims have been submitted.

"It is not sufficiently efficient. It is not paying all that many small business claims," Feinberg said in testimony before the House Committee on Small Business. Instead of the month-to-month emergency checks going out now, Feinberg plans to have his new entity, the Gulf Spill Independent Claims Fund, send out six-month lump sum payments "to give small businesses more certainty."

The former special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, Feinberg has experience with the bureaucratic and political complexities of managing disaster payments. Dozens of Congressional representatives pressed him with questions about how claims will be paid out and to whom.

Exactly what constitutes a "legitimate" claim is still being determined, but Feinberg said that he envisions limits.

What about tourism dollars lost because people don't want to go places they think will be coated in oil?, asked Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., the committee's chairwoman.

"If there's no physical damage to the beaches and it's a public perception, I venture to say that it is not compensable," Feinberg answered. "How we deal with that problem is something I've got to address. That's in this area where some discretion's going to have to exercised."

Real estate claims will be another gray area. Already-depressed real estate values will fall even more for properties physically damaged by the oil or located near beaches clogged with tar balls -- but home values in some areas might fall because of simple wariness.

"I'm on the beach, but there's no oil at all there. It's just the public perception that drives the values down. I mean, on the one hand, those people are suffering. They -- they deserve some help," Feinberg admitted. "On the other hand, there's not enough money in the world to pay every homeowner, wherever they live in the Gulf Coast, who says, 'My property is down because of the oil spill.'"

Feinberg made two more pledges about his still-evolving claims process: It will be transparent, and it will be locally staffed. Appeals will be fielded by local officials who have credibility with Gulf residents, he said. And Feinberg himself plans to be a frequent presence in the Gulf.

Baldness Gene Uncovered

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center believe they have found the genetic basis of alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that attacks hair follicles and causes people to lose their hair.

The findings could make it easier to develop new treatments for the condition, in which loss can range from patches on the scalp to complete absence of hair on the entire body. Affecting approximately 5.3 million people, AA is the most common autoimmune disease in humans and is second only to male pattern baldness, when it comes to common forms of hair loss. There is no cure and no effective treatments, aside from painful steroid injections to the scalp that don't always work.

Dr. Angela Christiano, professor of dermatology and genetics and development at Columbia University Medical Center, was lead author of the study. She noted her team's discovery is important because it was originally thought that AA was more related to inflammatory diseases, such as psoriasis, where a particular cell attacks the skin. But during their research, Christiano and her investigators learned that AA is actually more genetically related to celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes – and since there are many drugs under development and some on the market already for the same gene targets, new treatments for AA should be relatively close by. That makes Christiano happy. Not only because her research will be helping millions of people, but she herself may benefit. She, too, suffers from AA.

"It gives us hope, that some day there may be a cure for this condition," she says. " It gives pharmaceutical companies a target to go forward and start developing new drugs to fight AA."

BP is Dirty

BP has been trying to shut down an internal safety watchdog agency it set up under congressional pressure four years ago, according to sources close to the office and a leading congressman.

The Ombudsman Program was set up after a 2005 explosion at a BP refinery in Texas that killed 15 workers and a massive oil spill in Alaska the following year. Its chief, former federal judge Stanley Sporkin, would not comment for this story -- but a source inside his office told CNN, "I'm surprised we're still here."

The Washington-based office was set up to hear BP workers' safety concerns after investigations into the Texas City refinery explosion raised questions about whether employees feared retaliation for speaking up. Since then, 112 employees have filed complaints, and 35 of them have dealt with "system integrity or safety issues" that the office says are extremely serious.

But sources close to the office say BP doesn't like having independent investigators pursuing those complaints. A union representative told CNN that some workers who complained have faced retaliation. Jeanne Pascal, a former lawyer for the Environmental Protection Agency, agreed.

"They've been demoted, they've been terminated, they've also been blackballed," Pascal said.

BP spokesman Steve Rinehart said the company has a "zero-tolerance" policy toward retaliation and said it is unaware of any unresolved cases that violate that policy.

"Concerns raised internally or with the Ombudsman's office in respect to our operations are fully investigated and appropriate actions are implemented," he said in a statement supplied to CNN. He added, "If Ms. Pascal or others believe there are cases that have not been resolved appropriately, they can be raised through the ombudsman's office.

BP has promised Rep. Bart Stupak, the chairman of a congressional subcommittee investigating the April sinking of the Deepwater Horizon drill rig, that it will keep the watchdog office in place for another year. But Stupak said the head of BP's American subsidiary, Lamar McKay, told him earlier this year that the ombudsman's office was slated for elimination.

McKay had become the head of BP America in January 2009, more than a year before the the Deepwater Horizon disaster killed 11 workers and uncorked the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Stupak, D-Michigan, and other lawmakers met with McKay in January and March of that year.

"One of the first things Mr. McKay said was, 'I'm going to replace the ombudsman. I'm going to shut her down,' " Stupak told CNN. "He wasn't even on the job for more than a few weeks, maybe a month or two, and he wanted to shut down the ombudsman. We encouraged him not to do so."

Stupak said lawmakers were "shocked" that McKay would bring up the topic so soon.

"The logic was, 'Well, we will make things better,' " he said. "Well, I'm not sure."

BP has said it can do a good job investigating complaints through an established internal system -- without the ombudsman's office. But Pascal, who spent 26 years prosecuting polluters for the EPA, has called BP a "serial environmental criminal." She said BP repeatedly violates environmental laws, scoffs at safety regulations and treats U.S. government safety and pollution control officials as a mere nuisance.

The company paid record federal fines and pleaded guilty to a felony in connection with the Texas City explosion. It also pleaded guilty in 2007 to one count of criminally negligent discharge of oil, a misdemeanor, in Alaska. In 2009, the Justice Department filed a civil complaint alleging the company had violated clean air and water laws in Alaska.

That record indicates that BP considers safety "a secondary or tertiary concern," with no indication that will change, Pascal said.

"From my perspective, BP for a long time has been a company that is interested in profits first and foremost," she said. "Safety, health and the environment are subjugated to profit-making, and I do not think that has changed."

Hurricane Alex pushes on

Hurricane Alex is wreaking havoc on the Mexican and Texan coasts. The Hurricane is growing larger.

1:00 PM CDT Wed Jun 30
Location: 24.4°N 96.2°W
Max sustained: 85 mph
Moving: NW at 12 mph
Min pressure: 962 mb

Tornado Watches and Warnings have been issued for areas on coast of Texas.

Alex now a Hurricane

At about 9.45 this evening, the NHC upgraded Tropical Storm Alex to a category one hurricane.

10:00 PM CDT Tue Jun 29
Location: 23.1°N 94.8°W
Max sustained: 75 mph
Moving: W at 9 mph
Min pressure: 973 mb

It is the first Hurricane of the 2010 season. It is also the first June Hurricane since 1995. That was Hurricane Allison which was a hurricane on June 2nd. The Atlantic Hurricane Season begins on June 1st.

The hurricane is projected to make landfall further south. At this time it is moving due west to the Mexican coast.

Texas will still get hit by the dirty side of the hurricane. The Dirty Side is commonly the westerly or northernly part of the hurricane. In the rotation, it is the portion that brings wind and water onto shore.

Winds will blow in a counter-clockwise spin into marshes of Louisiana. The oil slick may be brought onto shore.

From NOAA

WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY...

NONE.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT...

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE COAST OF TEXAS SOUTH OF BAFFIN BAY TO THE MOUTH OF THE RIO
GRANDE
* THE COAST OF MEXICO FROM THE MOUTH OF THE RIO GRANDE TO LA CRUZ

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE COAST OF TEXAS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT OCONNOR
* THE COAST OF MEXICO SOUTH OF LA CRUZ TO CABO ROJO

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA IN THE UNITED
STATES...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE
MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA OUTSIDE
UNITED STATES...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL
METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.

Tropical Storm Alex

4:00 PM CDT Tue Jun 29
Location: 23.2°N 94.0°W
Max sustained: 70 mph
Moving: NW at 13 mph
Min pressure: 981 mb

They still expect it to concentrate and become a hurricane. It's projected to happen in the next few hours.

The pressure is starting to get that low. To put it in perspective, Hurricane Katrina was at her lowest, 902 mb and Hurricane Andrew, 922 mb.

Tropical Storm Alex still chugging

Tropical Storm Alex is still not a hurricane but it's a matter of inches. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when it reaches sustained wind speeds of 74 mph (64.3 kn). It's getting there and it is also accelerating as it scoots north of the Yucatan Peninsula.

7:00 AM CDT Tue Jun 29
Location: 22.5°N 92.7°W
Max sustained: 70 mph
Moving: NNW at 12 mph
Min pressure: 983 mb

It was located about 455 miles southeast of Brownsville. It is projected to make landfall Wednesday evening as a Category 1 storm. The NHC is now not projecting it to reach Category 2. This could possibly be because the storm is running out of space for fuel and to increase in intensity over the Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricane Warning for Tropical Storm Alex

Twenty-four minutes ago, the Hurricane Warning was raised in Coastal Mexico and Texas. Tropical Storm Alex has not reached sustained windspeeds of 74mph. It is only at 65mph.

Complete Information as 10:00 PM CDT Mon Jun 28

Location: 21.0°N 91.6°W
Max sustained: 65 mph/55 kn
Moving: N at 5 mph
Min pressure: 985 mb

As of 10 PM CDT June 28 (0300 UTC June 29), the center of Tropical Storm Alex was located within 25 nautical miles of 21.0°N 91.6°W, about 440 miles (710 km) east-southeast of La Pesca, Mexico, and about 505 miles (810 km) southeast of Brownsville, Texas. Maximum sustained winds are estimated at 65 mph (55 kn; 100 km/h), with higher gusts. The minimum central pressure is estimated to be 985 mbar (hPa; 29.09 inHg) and the storm is moving north at 5 mph (7 km/h).

On the evening of June 28, as Alex neared hurricane strength, a hurricane warning was issued for the coast of Texas, south of Baffin Bay to the mouth of the Rio Grande. A hurricane warning was also issued by the Mexican Government from the Rio Grande south to La Cruz. A tropical storm warning was also issued for coastal Texas from Baffin Bay northward to Port O'Conner. The Governor of Texas declared a state of disaster in 19 counties.

According to the National Weather Service, Alex is expected to strengthen to a Category 2 Hurricane.

000
WTNT31 KNHC 290544
TCPAT1
BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM ALEX INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER  14A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL   AL012010
100 AM CDT TUE JUN 29 2010

...ALEX GETTING BETTER ORGANIZED...


SUMMARY OF 100 AM CDT...0600 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...21.4N 91.8W
ABOUT 415 MI...665 KM ESE OF LA PESCA MEXICO
ABOUT 475 MI...765 KM SE OF BROWNSVILLE TEXAS
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...65 MPH...100 KM/HR
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NNW OR 340 DEGREES AT 8 MPH...13 KM/HR
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...985 MB...29.09 INCHES


WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY...

NONE.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT...

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE COAST OF TEXAS SOUTH OF BAFFIN BAY TO THE MOUTH OF THE RIO
GRANDE
* THE COAST OF MEXICO FROM THE MOUTH OF THE RIO GRANDE TO LA CRUZ

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN IN EFFECT FOR...
* THE COAST OF TEXAS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT OCONNOR

A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA.  A WARNING IS TYPICALLY ISSUED
36 HOURS BEFORE THE ANTICIPATED FIRST OCCURRENCE OF
TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS...CONDITIONS THAT MAKE OUTSIDE
PREPARATIONS DIFFICULT OR DANGEROUS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE
AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA IN THE UNITED
STATES...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE
MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA OUTSIDE
UNITED STATES...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL
METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.


DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 100 AM CDT...0600 UTC...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ALEX WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 21.4 NORTH...LONGITUDE 91.8 WEST.  ALEX IS
MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH...13 KM/HR. A TURN
TOWARD THE NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY...FOLLOWED BY A
GRADUAL TURN TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST ON WEDNESDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 65 MPH...100 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS.  ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 48
HOURS...AND ALEX IS LIKELY TO BECOME A HURRICANE LATER TODAY.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 80 MILES...130 KM...
MAINLY NORTHEAST THROUGH EAST OF THE CENTER.

THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE RECENTLY REPORTED BY AN AIR FORCE
RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT WAS 985 MB...29.09 INCHES.


HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
RAINFALL...ALEX IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS
OF 5 TO 10 INCHES OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN MEXICO AND SOUTHERN
TEXAS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

ALEX IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE ADDITIONAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 3
TO 6 INCHES OVER SOUTHERN MEXICO AND THE YUCATAN PENINSULA THROUGH
TUESDAY. ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 10 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE OVER
MOUNTAINOUS AREAS. THESE RAINS COULD CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH
FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES.

WIND...TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO APPROACH THE COAST
WITHIN THE HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM WARNING AREAS ON
WEDNESDAY...MAKING OUTSIDE PREPARATIONS DIFFICULT OR DANGEROUS.

STORM SURGE...A DANGEROUS STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY
AS MUCH AS 3 TO 5 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL ALONG THE IMMEDIATE
COAST NEAR AND TO THE NORTH OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL.  THE
SURGE COULD PENETRATE AS FAR INLAND AS SEVERAL MILES FROM THE SHORE
WITH DEPTH GENERALLY DECREASING AS THE WATER MOVES INLAND.  NEAR
THE COAST...THE SURGE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE
WAVES.


NEXT ADVISORY
-------------
NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY...400 AM CDT.

NOAA Weather Radio Houston

Tiny!

I want a teardrop trailer! it's so small but snug.

I like the smaller cozier places like small cottages and tiny homes.

Check it out!

Porn to get domain .xxx!

It's a big day for the porn industry.

On Friday, ICANN, the not-for-profit corporation that coordinates the internet's naming system, voted to allow the application of the controversial ".xxx" top-level domain name for sites that display adult content.

The domain, which would need further approval before going live on the internet, would be applied to adult entertainment sites just as ".com" is now.

The .xxx internet suffix, which was first proposed six years ago by ICM Registry, a group that sells domain names, "will provide a place online for adult entertainment providers and their service providers who want to be part of our voluntary self regulatory community," according to that company's news release.

Adopting .xxx will be optional. However, some tech blogs speculate a push to make the domain mandatory for adult-only sites.

ICM Registry has already taken 110,000 pre-reservations for the domain, which could be available in early 2011, if not sooner, its news release states.

While the company says labeling adult content online "will allow for simple and effective filtering for those who wish to do so," not everyone is pleased with ICANN's decision to approve the domain.

Some people involved in the industry are hesitant to accept the domain, "fearing it will lead to censorship, as it would be very easy to block the entire domain instead of individual sites," Rick Johnson of Portfolio.com wrote Thursday.

On the other hand, "some religious groups are against the creation of the domain, as it would lend more legitimacy to the adult entertainment industry," he wrote.

Death Penalty to be sought in PA case

A Pennsylvania prosecutor said Monday he will pursue the death penalty against a man charged over the weekend with a quadruple slaying in Northampton County.

"This is a capital case," Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said in a telephone interview. "He's a killer that needs to be put down."

Michael Eric Ballard, 36, was charged Sunday with four counts of murder for Saturday's killings in Northampton, about six miles north of Allentown and 50 miles north of Philadelphia.

A neighbor alerted police Saturday afternoon to a disturbance at the house where Denise Merhi, 39, lived with her father, Dennis Marsh, 62, and her grandfather, Alvin Marsh, 87, Morganelli said.

Inside, police found the bodies of the three relatives as well as that of a neighbor, 53-year-old Steven Zernhelt, Morganelli said.

Morganelli described Zernhelt as a "Good Samaritan looking to assist the other victims."

"He yelled over to his wife, 'Call 911;' he went in and he never came out," Morganelli said.

All four had been fatally stabbed; the elder Marsh's body was found in a wheelchair facing a television, a knife wound to the neck; Merhi's body was in the kitchen; the younger Marsh's body was in the basement; Zernhelt's body was just inside the front door, Morganelli said.

About a mile away from where police were investigating the grisly scene, an off-duty state trooper witnessed Ballard lose control of the vehicle he was driving -- which belonged to Merhi -- and wreck, Morganelli said.

When the trooper approached the vehicle, he saw Ballard covered in blood and asked him to explain, Morganelli said.

"It's obvious -- I just killed everyone," Ballard told the officer, Morganelli said. "I just killed four people."

Ballard was taken to St. Luke's Hospital in Allentown for treatment of what appeared to be knife injuries to his legs, Morganelli said.

"He'll be all right, unfortunately," Morganelli said.

Once Ballard is discharged, he will be sent to Northampton County Prison, Morganelli said.

Though a motive was not immediately apparent, "there was some relationship" between Ballard and Merhi, who had two children and worked as a phlebotomist, Morganelli said.

Ballard had been on parole -- living in a halfway house in Allentown -- since April, when he was released from prison. He had served approximately 15 years of a 20-year sentence for third-degree murder in neighboring Lehigh County, though it was not clear whether his release was for that crime.

Ballard had pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing a man in 1990, Morganelli said. "He was a career criminal," he added.

Merhi's children were with a grandmother at the Jersey Shore, Morganelli said.

The weapon in Saturday's killings is being sought, he said.

Senator Knotts: making the world safe for Morons!

So now Senator Knotts is saying the GOP has been infiltrated by Libertarians. Should there be an Inquisition? Libertarians are evil! They are for liberties and freedom. It's like he's saying "They don't hold with good Republican values of bigotry, hate and warmongering!!! Down with Liberty loving Americans!!!"

God, save me from your followers!

In this video, he accuses the Press of giving a Free Pass. He also says that they should ask "Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior and that he died on the cross for her sins?" But then says it should not disqualify her or anybody else from being Governor of South Carolina if he/she is not Christian (and I know that is problematic because Christians will claim other Christians are not as Christian as they are. Stupid really...).

Nikki Haley was raised a Sikh but is now a Methodist. She still hold some of her familial traditions.

This whole thing makes retract my earlier post. He does NOT consider himself a Libertarian. Nor should/does anyone else.

Watch it yourself. It's entertaining and somewhat enlightening.

Maritime Flags

If you've never been or lived in coastal areas or even near the North Shore, you probably haven't had to think about nautical weather and warnings.
The US Coast Guard uses flags displayed on masts. flagpoles and yardarms to warn of impending maritime weather.

Here's a guide to the uninitiated.

Tropical Storm Watch

A tropical storm watch (TRA) is issued when tropical storm conditions, including winds from 39 to 73 mph (35 to 64 knots, 63 to 117 km/h) pose a possible threat to a specified coastal area within 48 hours (was 36 hours prior to 2010 hurricane season). Maritime flags indicate this with a single square red flag.

Tropical Storm Warning

A tropical storm warning (TRW) is issued when tropical storm conditions (as above) are expected in a specified coastal area within 36 hours or less (was 24 hours or less prior to 2010 hurricane season). Maritime flags indicate this with two square red flags.

Hurricanes

Hurricane Watch

A hurricane watch (HWA) is issued for a specified area for which a hurricane or a hurricane-related hazard is a possible threat within 48 hours (was 36 hours prior to 2010 hurricane season). Maritime flags indicate this with a single square red flag with a black square in the middle.

The purpose of a hurricane watch is to inform families to obtain supplies, secure your home, and be prepared to evacuate.

Hurricane Warning

A hurricane warning (HWW) is issued when a hurricane with sustained winds of 74 mph (65 knots, 118 km/h) or higher is expected in a specified coastal area in 36 hours or less (was 24 hours or less prior to 2010 hurricane season). Maritime flags indicate this with two square red flags with a black square in the middle of each.

A hurricane warning can remain in effect when dangerously high water or a combination of dangerously high water and exceptionally high waves continues, even though the winds may have subsided below hurricane intensity.

Where the intensity or track of a forecast cyclone are uncertain (such as a tropical storm bordering hurricane intensity or on the edge of a track), a Tropical Storm Warning and a Hurricane Watch are often in effect at the same time on parts of the coast. Maritime flags indicate this with two square red flags with a black square in the middle on only one of them.

Tropical Storm Alex headed for Texas

Hurricane Watch:

• Mexico: The Mexican Gulf coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande southward to La Cruz
• United States: The Texas coast from Baffin Bay southward to the mouth of the Rio Grande

The 2010 hurricane season began on June 1st and isn't wasting much time in getting going.

On June 12, a tropical wave emerged off Western Africa, and eventually traveled along the Intertropical Convergence Zone. It was first noted by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) on June 20, while it was crossing the Windward Islands. The next day, it organized, and the NHC assessed a 50% chance of development into a tropical depression within next 2 days. It became less organized the next day; however, conditions were still favorable for development.

On June 24, it began to reestablish south of Jamaica, although it was poorly organized. Later that day, shower activity increased, and pressures began to fall. Hurricane Hunters flew inside it the next day and found a well defined circulation, and based on that data, the NHC began issuing advisories on Tropical Depression One, the first tropical depression of the season. Early on the June 26, the NHC upgraded the depression to a tropical storm and named it Alex.

Tropical Storm Alex as he stands 1 PM CDT June 28:
Location: 20.3°N 91.7°W
Max sustained: 60 mph
Moving: NNW at 5 mph
Min pressure: 990 mb

Currently, the storm is in the Bay of Campeche. The current trajectory and speed creates a model that looks like this:


Tropical Storm Alex is expected to strengthen into a hurricane but is heading away from the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center said Monday. "Some strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days and Alex is expected to become a hurricane on Tuesday," the Hurricane Center said in its 10 AM ET forecast.

The storm could become a major hurricane and could make landfall anywhere from Port Lavaca, Texas to Tampico, Mexico, the Hurricane Center said Monday. The Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch Monday for the Texas coast from south of Baffin Bay to the mouth of the Rio Grande.

And the Mexican government issued a hurricane watch for the coast of Mexico from the mouth of the Rio Grande to La Cruz, Mexico. That means that hurricane conditions are possible within those areas.

A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated arrival of tropical-storm-force winds. Forecasting models suggest that Alex could make landfall in northeastern Mexico, probably on Thursday.

The storm appears headed away from the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Alex could become a Category 3 hurricane, the Hurricane Center said.

Its winds were blowing at 60 miles an hour as of 10 AM ET Monday. "We will know much more as this storm continues to intensify today and tomorrow," the Hurricane Center said in a statement.

"We think the storm is going to stay on a more southern track. That would be good news because it would avoid the area near the oil spill," said Todd Kimberlain of the Hurricane Center.

However, forecasters have not ruled out an easterly shift in Alex's path. "We all know the weather is unpredictable, and we could have a sudden last-minute change," said Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the federal government's response manager.

Information from the National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Agency (NOAA).

Senator Byrd Passes Away at 92

West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd, the self-educated son of a coal miner who became the longest-serving member of Congress, died early Monday at age 92, the senator's office said.

Byrd, a nine-term Democrat, was known as a master of the chamber's often-arcane rules and as the self-proclaimed "champion of the Constitution," a jealous guardian of congressional power. He was a genius parliamentarian.

His speeches were laced with references to poetry and the Greek and Roman classics, often punctuated by the brandishing of his pocket copy of the national charter.

He was also known as the "King of Pork," using top positions on the Senate Appropriations Committee to steer federal spending to his home state -- one of the nation's poorest.

Byrd relished the title.

"Pork, to the critic, is service to the people who enjoy some of the good things in life, and I've been happy to bring to West Virginia the projects to which they refer. I have no apology for it," he said.

"When I am dead and am opened they will find West Virginia written on my heart."

He was an outspoken opponent of the war in Iraq, calling his 2002 vote against a "blind and improvident" authorization of military action the proudest moment of his career.

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin -- a Democrat -- has the power to appoint a replacement for Byrd, whose current term is set to expire in 2013.

When Byrd entered Congress in January 1953, a postage stamp cost 3 cents and American kids were clamoring for a new toy called Mr. Potato Head. Harry Truman was president, Winston Churchill was Britain's prime minister, and Josef Stalin was still the Soviet Union's leader.

In November 2009, two days before his 92nd birthday, Byrd passed Arizona Democrat Carl Hayden's record to become the longest-serving member of Congress.

His health problems mounted in his later years, putting him in the hospital four times between February 2008 and September 2009.

Under pressure from fellow Democrats, he announced he would step down as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee after the 2008 elections.

"I have been privileged to be a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee for 50 years and to have chaired the committee for 10 years, during a time of enormous change in our great country, both culturally and politically," he wrote in a statement announcing his intention.

"A new day has dawned in Washington, and that is a good thing. For my part, I believe that it is time for a new day at the top of the Senate Appropriations Committee."

Byrd's records

-Longest-serving member of Congress, with 20,996 days

-Only person elected to nine full terms in the Senate

-Presided over the shortest session of the Senate (6/10ths of a second; February 27, 1989)

-Presided over Senate for longest continuous period (21 hours, 8 minutes; March 7-8, 1960)

-Cast 18,689 roll-call votes; more than any other U.S. senator

-Held the most leadership positions in Senate

Robert Carlyle Byrd was born Cornelius Calvin Sale Jr. on November 20, 1917, in the North Carolina town of North Wilkesboro. His mother died when he was a year old, and he was adopted and renamed by his aunt and uncle, Titus and Vlurma Byrd.

He started his political career by running for the state House of Delegates in 1946, while working as a butcher and welder. He won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives six years later, was elected to his first Senate term in 1958, and won his ninth in 2006, three weeks shy of his 89th birthday.

"If it's the Lord's will, the people will send me there. Why? This Constitution needs a champion," he said before the 2006 vote.

As the senior senator of the majority party, Byrd served as the Senate's president pro tempore -- third in line of presidential succession, behind the vice president and speaker of the House.

While he set two endurance records in Congress, he was only proud of one in the end. The other was for his 1964 filibuster against the Civil Rights Act, when he spoke for 14 hours and 13 minutes in an effort to derail the law.

He opposed civil rights when he first ran for office, a stance he came to regret later in life. He blamed "that Southern atmosphere in which I grew up, with all of its prejudices and its feelings," for his opposition to equal rights, which included joining the Ku Klux Klan in the 1940s.

He called the move "the greatest mistake of my life," an "albatross" that would always shadow his career.

"It's a lesson to the young people of today, that once a major mistake has been made in one's life," he said, "it will always be there, and it will be in my obituary."

Byrd was married to his childhood sweetheart, the former Erma James, for nearly 69 years before her death in 2006. They had two daughters.

"I have met queens and the wives of shahs and great women from all over the world, (but) to me now, this was the greatest woman I ever met in this world," he said.

He did not complete a college degree until 1963, when he earned a law degree from American University in Washington after taking night classes -- the only time a member of Congress has earned a law degree while holding office. He also received a political science degree from West Virginia's Marshall University in 1994, at age 76.

He rose through the Senate's Democratic ranks in the 1960s, and became the chamber's majority leader in 1977. He kept the party leadership when Republicans won back the Senate in 1980, serving as minority leader for six years, then spent two more years as majority leader after the 1986 elections.

In 1989, he became chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee -- one of the most influential posts in Congress, with extensive control over the federal government's purse strings.

Years later, Byrd explained to CNN the power of that unique position.

"In the forest there is a water hole," he said. "All the animals have to come to that water hole sooner or later. The Appropriations Committee is a water hole."

He spent the rest of his career as the panel's chairman or ranking Democrat, steering an estimated $3 billion in federal projects to West Virginia since 1991, according to the watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste.

Byrd said he was looking out for the interests of his Appalachian constituents, nearly 20 percent of whom live below the federal poverty line.

"My memory is as good as it ever was, and it's stock full of recollections about the poor people of West Virginia, how they were laughed at," he told CNN in 2006.

But in the same interview, Byrd said it was his October 2002 vote against the resolution that gave President George Bush the authority to launch the invasion of Iraq "of which I am most proud."

He was one of 23 senators to oppose the authorization, warning that Congress was abdicating its constitutional power to declare war by giving the president what amounted to a blank check.

"We are rushing into war without fully discussing why, without thoroughly considering the consequences, or without making any attempt to explore what steps we might take to avert conflict," he said.

Four months later, with an American-led army poised to move across the frontier and U.N. weapons inspectors reporting no sign of Iraq's suspected weapons programs, Byrd returned to the Senate floor to condemn a "hauntingly silent" chamber.

Four years after casting that vote, he called the invasion "the blunder of the age."

Though he promised to support U.S. troops "to the last breath, the last dollar," he told CNN that he and other opponents of the war had been right.

"History will prove it was wrong to invade another country without provocation. That is wrong. That was wrong then, and it would be wrong 50 years from today," he said.

- Reposted from CNN

Kyrgyzstan approves new Constitution

The people of Kyrgyzstan have spoken. All 65.1% of them that is, voted to approve a new constitution following a nationwide referendum.

The Kyrgyz government's interim head, Roza Otunbeava, told reporters that Sunday's referendum took place without any reported incidents, paving the way for democratic rule, the news agency reported.

"It will not be an interim but a legal and legitimate government," she added. "We are leaving the word interim behind."
Kyrgizstan saw an outbreak of brutal riots across its territory in April, which led to the ousting of President Kurmanbek Bakiev, who is now in exile in Belarus.

Whoever wins next year's election would take office in January 2012. The official death toll in the clashes that began June 10 stands at 275, though government officials say the numbers could be much higher. More than half a million people -- about a tenth of the nation's total population -- were displaced, many taking refuge in neighboring Uzbekistan. More than 1,300 houses were burned.

And because you should really know where shit is in this World --

Seriously Dumb Bitch

I know I'm not the only one who thinks of this line when hearing about people like this: Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. Parents of a 16-year-old California girl said "Yes, go and sail around the world." And her older brother Zac said "Sure, I did it!"

Two weeks after being rescued from her storm-ravaged sailboat, 16-year-old Abby Sunderland finally arrived on the tiny French island of Reunion, where she was greeted by Zac.

"She’s in good spirits," her mother Marianne tells PEOPLE. "She’s laughing, giggling and really wants to go out sailing in one of the Hobie Cats she spotted in the harbor."

Abby’s bid to circumnavigate the planet in a sailboat was cut short on June 10 when a massive storm destroyed her 40-foot-long sailboat "Wild Eyes" in a remote stretch of the Indian Ocean, nearly 2,000 miles west of Australia. The ensuing search for the intrepid teen sailor attracted worldwide attention.

Zac, who completed his own solo navigation last summer at 17, flew to Reunion earlier this week to bring his sister back to the family’s home in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

He arrived on the island with a backpack for his sister filled with clothes, makeup, a hairbrush and an iPod to replace the one that got destroyed by seawater during the fateful storm that crippled Abby’s boat.

"I'm really disappointed that things didn't go as planned," Sunderland told reporters after coming to shore. "I was on an adventure. You can only plan so far." [Author's Note: But you're not thankful she was found alive?]

Sunderland left on her voyage to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the planet in a sailboat on Jan. 23 from Marina del Rey, Calif., just months after her brother Zac returned from his own trip. Abby ran into technical problems in April, forcing her to put her journey on hold while she repaired her boat.

On May 15th, a 16-year-old Australian girl set sailing record after traveling 23,000 miles in 210 days. Although Sunderland was no longer a contender for the record, she decided to push on with her odyssey in Wild Eyes and left Cape Town, South Africa on May 21.

But on June 10, Sunderland’s mast snapped in a massive storm that generated 30-foot-high waves. She drifted for two days before being picked up by a French fishing boat. Several days later, she was transferred to a French fishing patrol boat and spent another ten days traveling to the tiny island of Reunion, east of Africa.

Abby is due to arrive back home late Monday night and plans to hold a press conference in Marina del Rey the following day.

Cheney goes to the hospital, too!

One old politician in the hospital isn't enough. Former Vice President and always derided Darth Lord of the Sith, Dick Cheney was admitted on Friday to George Washington University Hospital as a result of "progressive retention of fluid related to his coronary artery disease," Cheney's office said. Cheney was suffering from atrial fibrillation, or irregular heart rhythm, the friend said.

At the hospital, Cheney was placed on intravenous medication and his condition has "markedly improved," his office said in a statement Saturday.

On Sunday, Cheney's daughter, Liz Cheney, said that the former vice president was "feeling better" and would hopefully be released Monday.

Cheney has a long history of heart problems. He suffered his first heart attack in 1978, when he was 37.

He had his second heart attack in 1984 and a third in 1988 and underwent a quadruple bypass surgery to unblock his arteries. Shortly after Cheney was elected vice president in November 2000, he had a fourth heart attack and received a stent to open an artery.

In February, Cheney suffered his fifth heart attack. Also.... he has friends!?!?

Senator Byrd Hospitalized

Senator Robert Byrd, a Democrat from West Virginia (which sounds odd, come to think of it), has been hospitalized in serious condition.

The 92-year-old was admitted to a Washington area hospital last week. His office lists him as "seriously ill". Initially it was believed he was suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration.

Last year, Senator Byrd was hospitalized for 6 weeks due to a staph infection.

Last November, he became the longest-serving member of Congress at more than 57 years, surpassing the old record set by Arizona Democrat Carl T. Hayden. Byrd also is the only person elected to nine full terms in the Senate. Senator Byrd served 3 terms in the House of Representatives before becoming a Senator. He has never lost an election.

Always a controversial figure in politics, he has in the past been a member of the Ku Klux Klan and a pro-segregationist. Despite this, he remains a Democrat and has changed his position on a number of inflammatory topics.

He is a widower with two daughters, two sons-in-law, five living grandchildren (another deceased) and six great-grandchildren.

He was a good friend of the late Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy.

Palin Fund deemed unlawful

It's a very good day to be me!

I got some great news from the University I attend (University of Minnesota), the US is still in the World Cup, TCU is still in the College World Series... there's gas in my car!!! And the woman I love to hate had a little bad news. in fact, I think I hate her more than Ann Coulter. At least with Ann there's some intelligence even if its warped with Fascist overtones.

Supporters of Sarah Palin have 90 days to return nearly $400,000 in donations raised by her legal defense trust after an investigator ruled the fund ran afoul of state ethics laws.

Ok, it really wasn't bad and in some ways, I'm not sure shutting the supposed illegal fund down was legal itself. The fund folded and was then relaunched with this to say:

Now, Sarah Palin's enemies have scored a limited victory in their vicious campaign to smear, bankrupt, and force this dedicated public servant and conservative leader out of politics. They have successfully questioned her prior legal defense fund--a fund that mirrored John Kerry's fund and Bill Clinton's fund. So a new fund was necessary to make sure Sarah Palin can continue to speak the truth to Americans.

I find that somewhere in the middle there is some truth. And saying something mirrors something else leaves a lot out there. Mirrors can be cracked, flawed or distorted and not necissarily reflect an identical image. In other words, your metaphor may reveal that the fund is not altogether like what the supporters allude.

I have to wonder what may have been the truth. And everything with Palin makes me wonder. Like how she has the brain capacity to use words in a sentence.

Isner out

Last report on John Isner, I promise.

The American, seeded 23rd in the Wimbledon tournament, lost today to Thiemo de Bakker, an unranked player. The match lasted 75 minutes which compared to his last match, was a blink of the eye.

Isner had difficulty during the match requiring a trainere which can only spell bad news. Isner never looked like he had his momentum going.

And to be honest, I expected this. After such an effort by the 25-year-old North Carolinan to defeat Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, also unranked, he was probably out of gas, physically and mentally.

Despite being knocked out of the tournament, Isner has won the respect of many of his peers and the world audience. And he has the longest Tennis Match ever played, some are even calling it the Greatest, to call his own.

Captain commits Suicide; Gulf Oil Spill suspected

Allen Kruse was not a rookie though that was the name of his boat. The 26-year veteren took his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head on Wednesday morning. He was discovered in his boat's cabin by deck hands.

The 55-year-old has long made the Gulf of Mexico his workplace. Friends and family say he loved the waters. They also say that everything may have become too much for him but they may never know his real reasons. He left no note indicating why ultimately he took his own life.

Before the April spill, Kruse was able to make $5-6K a month with chartered boat trips and fishing snapper and amberjack. When the spill happened, his business opportunities evaporated.

BP called Kruse and his boat a "vessel of opportunity". He was employed by the Oil Company to brag booms and skim oil off his beloved waters. He had worked two weeks and had yet to be paid.

In Orange Beach, Alabama, hos hometown, the community is reeling. The Mayor, Tony Kennon said "There's a lot of people on the edge. We feel hopeless. We feel helpless. We don't feel like there's an advocate out there."

Marc and Frank Kruse said their brother would still be alive today if he had believed he was making an impact against the oil that was threatening the waters he loved. For Kruse and other Gulf Coast fishermen, the oil disaster was the latest blow in a series of setbacks, friends said.

"This has been a long-term situation. This started in 2004, with a direct hit from Hurricane Ivan, then the next year was Katrina, then skyrocketing fuel prices, fishing regulations, then an oil spill," Capt. Ben Fairey said. "This has been six years that this area has really suffered a lot of stress."

On Thursday evening, Kruse's boat Rookie returned to Orange Beach without it's Captain and with a wreath on deck as a memorial.

FINALLY!! It ends!

At Busted Raquet, a Tennis blog, this morning it read:

After ten hours, 153 games and almost 1,000 points, American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut were locked at 59-59 in the fifth-set of their historic first-round match at Wimbledon when play was suspended for the second straight day due to darkness. You read the score correctly: 59-59. When the Wimbledon final had a 16-14 final set last year, that seemed like a marathon. In comparison, this match was like running to the moon.

The match that threatened to make the War in Afghanistan look short, has ended at 11 hours, five minutes.

After three days of a single Tennis match at Wimbledon, John Isner of the United States has won a first round match against Nicolas Mahut of France 3-2. The match was fiercely contested by both men who were both applauded and awarded for their perseverance.

The match broke records during its second day of play, so the figures as they stood at the end at the records. It is likely that they will stand for a very, VERY long time.

The records are thus: longest match: 11 hours, 5 minutes; longest set: the fifth set required 8 hours, 11 minutes; most games in a set: 138 in the fifth set; most games in a match: 183; most aces in a match by one player: Isner, 112; and total aces in a match: Mahut's 103 aces brought the total to 215.
The match set the record for most games played in a match both before and since the introduction of the tie-break. The previous records were the 2003 Australian Open quarter-final match, in which it took Andy Roddick 83 games to defeat Younes El Aynaoui 4–6, 7–6(5), 4–6, 6–4, 21–19, and the 112 games it took Pancho Gonzales in 1969 to defeat Charlie Pasarell in the first round 22–24, 1–6, 16–14, 6–3, 11–9 prior to the introduction of a tie-break.

The match set the record for the longest match by time. The previous official record (6 hours, 33 minutes) was set at the 2004 French Open when Fabrice Santoro defeated Arnaud Clément 6–4, 6–3, 6–7(5), 3–6, 16–14. It also passed the unofficial record of 6 hours and 40 minutes set on 25 February 2009, when Chris Eaton defeated James Ward 6–3, 6–2, 6–7(3), 2–6, 21–19 in a playoff match to represent the United Kingdom in the Davis Cup.

The fifth set alone lasted longer than the previous longest match. John Isner served his 79th ace to take the lead, 39–38 in the match. This passed Ivo Karlović's 78 aces that he served on 18 September 2009 in a Davis Cup match against Radek Štěpánek. He finished on a total of 112. Mahut also passed the previous record with 103 aces.

The first crack in Mahut's service game had come on the second point of the final game when he made a forehand error. On the next point, Mahut tried a delicate drop shot but was only able to make the ball nestle into the net on his side of the court. Mahut won the next point with a volley but then, once again, Isner got a swing at a second serve and it paid off.

The 6-foot-9 American cracked a forehand winner to give himself a fifth match point in this longest-ever set. As the crowd on Court 18 roared, Isner swung all-out with that backhand.

After the ball landed, Isner dropped to his knees and Mahut hung his head for a moment. At the net, Isner hugged his beaten opponent. There was an immediate on-court ceremony in which each player and chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani received special awards that came in boxes that seemed too heavy for the exhausted players to hold.

Isner told the crowd, "I got a little bit tired. When you come out and play and the atmosphere is like this, you don't feel tired even though we were. This crowd was fantastic."

And to his opponent, Isner said, "What more can you say? To share this day was an absolute honor."

Mahut also was given a chance to speak. He had to put down his award box first.

"At this moment, it is just really painful," he said. "Thanks to you guys, you were completely fantastic. John deserved to win. He served unbelievable. It was an honor to play. We played the greatest match ever, and Wimbledon is the greatest place to play."

Mahut had to serve to stay in the match 65 times, but he said he wasn't thinking about that.

"I was just thinking about the point and playing it," he said.

The final set alone lasted 491 minutes. Isner finished with 112 aces and Mahut had 103.

Isner, the 23rd seed, must now look ahead to his second-round match against Thiemo De Bakker of the Netherlands. De Bakker won his first-round match by the routine score of 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 16-14.

Immediately after the end of the match, both players and chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani were presented a special award from the AELTC by Tim Henman and Ann Haydon-Jones, followed by a photo taken showing the result on one of the two Court 18 scoreboards.

On Day 2 there had been a scoreboard failure at Court 18 where the historic match was played. The scoreboard froze at 47 all then went dark. IBM worked until 11:45 PM on the issue that evening and after a hotfix, was up and working today, accurately presenting the record scores.

The website lastly only a little longer. At 50 all, it reset to zero. Visitors were kindly asked to add 50 to the scores.

Reaction around the world has been admiration and awe. Some have tried to put perspective on a the match calling it the aforementioned "Marathon Match" and "The Neverending Story". The match was at first being called an Epic Match but after the suspension on Day 2, it drifted into Marathon territory.

Seriously, how could anyone have anything but admiration for the two men?

In addition, the Queen also visited Wimbledon today. She was at Centre Court, however, and did not see the match at Court 18. And who could blame her. No one could say for sure how long it would go.

This was the Queen's first visit to Wimbledon in 33 years. She met with some players including Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Venus and Serena Williams, and some former winners here, including Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova.

Busted Racquet put this best so I will quote them:

While it was great to see the queen making her way around the grounds at Wimbledon, she informed everyone that she isn't that big of a tennis fan. That couldn't have been more evident than a humorous exchange she had with Navratilova that ESPN reported during its coverage of the event.

According to Hannah Storm, the queen asked Navratilova if she had played Wimbledon often, to which the former nine-time champion humbly answered yes.

Honestly, you can't blame the queen for not knowing everything about the tennis world. She has worn the crown for 58 years, so it isn't like we're dealing with a spring chicken here.

Well, it was an all around historic day at Wimbledon and for Tennis. And it's only the 4th day of a 14 day tournament. Oy vey!