Meow! Officer expects house cat, gets cougar
Decides to wait for game warden with tranquilizer to handle problem
updated 3:24 p.m. ET, Tues., Sept. 30, 2008
CASPER, Wyo. - Police officer Mike Ableman didn't think much of a call to shoo off a bothersome "kitty cat" at a Casper home. But upon arriving at the scene, he ran for cover after seeing a male mountain lion weighing 80 to 90 pounds.
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26959844/
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Adding to deployment stress for soldiers is the economy
Soldiers going to Iraq worried about economy
By John Milburn - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Sep 30, 2008 18:07:26 EDT
FORT RILEY, Kan. — Soldiers and families who deal with enough stress during 12-month deployment to Iraq now acknowledge they are keeping a little closer eye on their finances.
Turmoil in the credit and financial markets has members of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry watching their money closely and planning for emergencies. They know their paychecks are secure, but it’s their investments, however small, that makes them worry.
Command Sgt. Maj. Julia Kelly is not amused with the talk of bailing out Wall Street with $700 billion when taxpayers are expected to pay for their own tough times. Kelly is trying to sell a house in Billings, Mont., knowing that some properties in that area have been on the market for as long as three years.
“I’m feeling that pressure right now with that,” said Kelly, adding that she didn’t want to find a renter because the last one cost her money in repairs.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/ap_soldiers_economy_093008/
By John Milburn - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Sep 30, 2008 18:07:26 EDT
FORT RILEY, Kan. — Soldiers and families who deal with enough stress during 12-month deployment to Iraq now acknowledge they are keeping a little closer eye on their finances.
Turmoil in the credit and financial markets has members of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry watching their money closely and planning for emergencies. They know their paychecks are secure, but it’s their investments, however small, that makes them worry.
Command Sgt. Maj. Julia Kelly is not amused with the talk of bailing out Wall Street with $700 billion when taxpayers are expected to pay for their own tough times. Kelly is trying to sell a house in Billings, Mont., knowing that some properties in that area have been on the market for as long as three years.
“I’m feeling that pressure right now with that,” said Kelly, adding that she didn’t want to find a renter because the last one cost her money in repairs.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/ap_soldiers_economy_093008/
Uncle Sam (DOD) wants a few good computer hackers
Military needs hackers, StratCom chief says
Uncle Sam is looking for a few good computer hackers.
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Sep 30, 2008 17:25:30 EDT
Uncle Sam is looking for a few good computer hackers.
The U.S. military needs a two-edged cyber capability that can not only defend its .mil and .smil domains from outside attacks but, if necessary, launch cyber attacks against intruders. To do that, the individual services need to recruit and train more cyber-qualified personnel, Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton, chief the U.S. Strategic Command, said today.
The military is dependent on its .mil and .smil domains for everything from e-mail exchanges to employment of its nuclear arsenal. StratCom’s vast portfolio includes operating and defending those domains.
The importance, Chilton said, is self-evident.
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Uncle Sam is looking for a few good computer hackers.
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Sep 30, 2008 17:25:30 EDT
Uncle Sam is looking for a few good computer hackers.
The U.S. military needs a two-edged cyber capability that can not only defend its .mil and .smil domains from outside attacks but, if necessary, launch cyber attacks against intruders. To do that, the individual services need to recruit and train more cyber-qualified personnel, Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton, chief the U.S. Strategic Command, said today.
The military is dependent on its .mil and .smil domains for everything from e-mail exchanges to employment of its nuclear arsenal. StratCom’s vast portfolio includes operating and defending those domains.
The importance, Chilton said, is self-evident.
click link for more
Gen. Wesley Clark revs up the crowd in Destin FL
Clark revs up crowd of 200
September 30, 2008 - 12:11PM
Tom McLaughlin
Daily News
DESTIN -- Bush-bashing, McCain cracks and Palin-knocking were all the rage Tuesday morning at Harbor Docks restaurant in Destin.
Gen. Wesley Clark was the man brought in to fire up the Democratic masses in support of presidential candidate Barack Obama, and, in Northwest Florida, the 200 or so who showed up to see him constituted a sizeable outpouring of affection.
"It's wonderful. It's this way all over the country," Clark said of the crowd's size and enthusiasm.
He added that the George W. Bush administration has helped fuel the fire for Obama.
"People know something's wrong. It's not like America to lurch from crisis to crisis. They're counting on Barack Obama to fix it," he said.
Those in attendance were young and old, black, white and Asian, veteran and non-veteran, even Republican. One man, 84-year-old Fred Hoole, told Clark he intended to vote for a Democrat for president for the first time since 1948.
Restaurant owner Charles Morgan set the tone for the Clark event with a shot at Okaloosa County Republicans, who were unable to land a national figure for a rally they held Sunday.
Listing some of the notable Democrats who had spoken in the past at Harbor Docks, Morgan noted "that may lead you to think we lean to the Democratic side of things."
"Actually, we'd be happy to host Republicans here," Morgan added. "But in a county where Republicans outnumber Democrats by three to one ... they can't get anybody down here to speak. I don't think we'd have any more success."
click post title for more
September 30, 2008 - 12:11PM
Tom McLaughlin
Daily News
DESTIN -- Bush-bashing, McCain cracks and Palin-knocking were all the rage Tuesday morning at Harbor Docks restaurant in Destin.
Gen. Wesley Clark was the man brought in to fire up the Democratic masses in support of presidential candidate Barack Obama, and, in Northwest Florida, the 200 or so who showed up to see him constituted a sizeable outpouring of affection.
"It's wonderful. It's this way all over the country," Clark said of the crowd's size and enthusiasm.
He added that the George W. Bush administration has helped fuel the fire for Obama.
"People know something's wrong. It's not like America to lurch from crisis to crisis. They're counting on Barack Obama to fix it," he said.
Those in attendance were young and old, black, white and Asian, veteran and non-veteran, even Republican. One man, 84-year-old Fred Hoole, told Clark he intended to vote for a Democrat for president for the first time since 1948.
Restaurant owner Charles Morgan set the tone for the Clark event with a shot at Okaloosa County Republicans, who were unable to land a national figure for a rally they held Sunday.
Listing some of the notable Democrats who had spoken in the past at Harbor Docks, Morgan noted "that may lead you to think we lean to the Democratic side of things."
"Actually, we'd be happy to host Republicans here," Morgan added. "But in a county where Republicans outnumber Democrats by three to one ... they can't get anybody down here to speak. I don't think we'd have any more success."
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Engineer's family shoulders profound grief from train wreck
Engineer's family shoulders profound grief from train wreck
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 30, 2008
At 11:30 on the morning of Sept. 19, some 60 engineers and conductors gathered at a modest La Crescenta house. They had come to memorialize Robert Sanchez, the engineer killed a week earlier when the Metrolink train he was driving collided with a Union Pacific freight train.
The service was supposed to have been held at a mortuary, but after reporters learned of the arrangements, the family hastily moved the memorial to Sanchez's home, hoping for the chance to gather privately with his former co-workers.
Since their arrival in California, their grief had been made much more difficult by a crush of media attention. They were accosted at every turn, and the pressure grew more intense after Metrolink announced -- far too quickly, in the family's eyes -- that Sanchez had failed to stop at a red signal and caused the crash.
The mourners came bearing pizzas, sodas and cakes. One brought a flower arrangement in the shape of a cross, which Sanchez's family placed far from the window for fear that someone might throw a brick. Three Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies stood guard outside.
A minister from Sanchez's union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, spoke. His co-workers recalled trading recipes with Sanchez and accompanying him to Mighty Ducks and Kings games. They told the family they would help find homes for Sanchez's four Italian greyhounds.
click post title for more
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 30, 2008
At 11:30 on the morning of Sept. 19, some 60 engineers and conductors gathered at a modest La Crescenta house. They had come to memorialize Robert Sanchez, the engineer killed a week earlier when the Metrolink train he was driving collided with a Union Pacific freight train.
The service was supposed to have been held at a mortuary, but after reporters learned of the arrangements, the family hastily moved the memorial to Sanchez's home, hoping for the chance to gather privately with his former co-workers.
Since their arrival in California, their grief had been made much more difficult by a crush of media attention. They were accosted at every turn, and the pressure grew more intense after Metrolink announced -- far too quickly, in the family's eyes -- that Sanchez had failed to stop at a red signal and caused the crash.
The mourners came bearing pizzas, sodas and cakes. One brought a flower arrangement in the shape of a cross, which Sanchez's family placed far from the window for fear that someone might throw a brick. Three Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies stood guard outside.
A minister from Sanchez's union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, spoke. His co-workers recalled trading recipes with Sanchez and accompanying him to Mighty Ducks and Kings games. They told the family they would help find homes for Sanchez's four Italian greyhounds.
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Today is our 24th wedding anniversary with PTSD
24 years ago today I married my best friend. Back then I knew he had PTSD but I was not prepared for his condition to get worse. I honestly can't say what I would have done if I had known what we end up going through ahead of time. None of us really know what tomorrow will bring. It is what we do know that our futures are built upon. I knew I loved him and I knew his character. What fortified me was my faith and the knowledge of what my husband was going through. Even with that knowledge, without faith, without being able to reach out to God for the strength to get thru the heart wrenching times, we would not be celebrating this anniversary today. This is what I believe a marriage should be built upon.
1 Corinthians 13
Love
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
9For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
If we love our veteran and know what wound they carry, it becomes easier to find the compassion to stay with them and help them. If we know nothing then we assume that they have no love for us left within them and it's easy to leave. If we know them, know their soul, we understand they are not doing any of what they do in order to hurt us. We can see them as wounded and ill. The rational understanding that if they had any other illness, we would never think of leaving penetrates our conscience and we are more able to stay, put up with people telling us to get a divorce and find the strength to fight for our veteran's sake.
This, from St. Francis, is one more belief I held dear to help me when my selfishness began to take control over what I knew was the right thing to do.
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
Along the way coming into contact with others living with PTSD helped me, supported me and strengthened me. They came to me for help but together we ended up helping each other. I have never met such courageous people before in my life. They are filled with compassion for others and this part of their soul is what caused them to be wounded so deeply by what they had to endure. While they have broken my heart by the pain they carry, they have also filled me with appreciation of the human soul that lives on within them and the magnificence of their strength.
I look at my husband today, after 26 years of loving him on this day of our 24th wedding anniversary and I feel so blessed that God gave me all I needed to stay.
One of the Chaplains in my group sends out a daily devotion reminder. Today, this is the one he picked.
From Papa Roy
God Never Gives Up on Us
Our God is a God that will never give up on us. This fact is always a source of hope. There indeed may be times in which it seems like God has given up on people, turning a deaf ear to them when they are in need or sick, but we must be careful asking "why" when such events happen, for it is not the Lord abandoning His children.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
God did not abandon me nor did He abandon my husband. There are times in our lives when we feel that way. We find dark times and wonder if God is punishing us by ignoring our cries for help. We find times when we feel as if we should give up praying, give up reaching out for His hand and forgetting all the other times in our lives when He was there to help us. I'm probably more guilty of this than anyone else. So many times it was so easy to forget what God had done in my life before. It was as if I had the attitude "ya but what have You done for me lately" when another crisis came and I had fear. I wanted immediate help the way I wanted to be helped, not the way God saw fit to offer it.
What good is strength when the weight of the world is crashing down on us and everything we thought our lives would be vanishes? What good is reading words of someone written thousands of years going to do for us today when hateful words penetrate today? What good does it do us to know that "if we wait upon the Lord" our reward will be great for trusting Him, taking a leap of faith over Satan's foot if we fall flat on our face? It all helps when we understand that hold that world of pain above our heads is success when we get up the next day with enough hope to put our feet firmly on the floor and begin a new day. It helps when we understand that the moments keep passing and we are still here. It helps to know that when we do fall flat our face, we get back up again. Sure we have skinned knees and a few scars, but we are still standing. Then the day comes when our prayers begin to bear fruit, our souls are warmed by the Glory of God and we overcome the crisis of our days.
It would be wonderful if God handed us what we wanted, when we wanted it but if this happened, then our faith would just be common without being strengthened. Just as my marriage would have just been common and not strengthened by all we lived through together. The bond was there from the beginning. The love was there and today I can honestly say that I love him even more than I did the day we married.
If you want to read more of our life together, I have a free book on this blog you can open in Adobe on the side bar. For the Love of Jack is about 18 years of our life together. If you still wonder if anyone else knows what you're going through, this is it. There isn't much I have not lived through and it's all in the book. Once you read it, then remind yourself of this post and know that nothing is impossible with God if love is the basis of your desires. If we could stay together, still loving each other, anyone can. If my husband can come through the darkest days of his life and live a life again after all the years without help, anyone can. For the younger veterans and their families, you can do it too if love is there.
Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
Monday, September 29, 2008
Tractor-trailer hits van, kills six
Tractor-Trailer Hits Van In Fla.; 6 Killed
Truck Loaded With Sand Collides With Van, Killing All 6 Men Aboard
Comments 12
MOORE HAVEN, Fla., Sept. 29, 2008
AP) Six men in a van were killed when a tractor-trailer loaded with sand hit their vehicle Monday in south-central Florida.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the tractor-trailer ran through a stop sign around 6:30 a.m. and struck the van's right side.
go here for more
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/29/national/main4486287.shtml
Truck Loaded With Sand Collides With Van, Killing All 6 Men Aboard
Comments 12
MOORE HAVEN, Fla., Sept. 29, 2008
AP) Six men in a van were killed when a tractor-trailer loaded with sand hit their vehicle Monday in south-central Florida.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the tractor-trailer ran through a stop sign around 6:30 a.m. and struck the van's right side.
go here for more
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/29/national/main4486287.shtml
Jaguars' Collier paralyzed, had leg amputated
Jaguars' Collier paralyzed, had leg amputated
Jacksonville lineman, who was shot 14 times, in stable condition, doc says
updated 6:36 p.m. ET, Mon., Sept. 29, 2008
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier, shot while sitting in a car outside an apartment complex earlier this month, is paralyzed below the waist and his left leg was amputated, his doctor said Monday.
Collier was on a ventilator for about three weeks and has no memory of the shooting, said Dr. Andy Kerwin, a surgeon for the University of Florida at Shands Jacksonville hospital.
“His overall condition has improved greatly,” Kerwin said. “We expect him to be discharged soon.”
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http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/26946430/
Jacksonville lineman, who was shot 14 times, in stable condition, doc says
updated 6:36 p.m. ET, Mon., Sept. 29, 2008
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier, shot while sitting in a car outside an apartment complex earlier this month, is paralyzed below the waist and his left leg was amputated, his doctor said Monday.
Collier was on a ventilator for about three weeks and has no memory of the shooting, said Dr. Andy Kerwin, a surgeon for the University of Florida at Shands Jacksonville hospital.
“His overall condition has improved greatly,” Kerwin said. “We expect him to be discharged soon.”
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http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/26946430/
Scientists find why bad memories stay with us
Scientists find why bad memories stay with us
Glue that makes bad memories stick may help with Alzheimer's, study says
By Andrea Thompson
updated 2 hours, 25 minutes ago
Scientists may have found the glue that keeps fearful memories stuck in the brain, a discovery that could be useful in new treatments for Alzheimer's disease and post-traumatic stress disorder.
That glue seems to be a protein that is key to maintaining the structure of cells and also is essential to embryonic development, a new study suggests.
The protein, called beta-catenin, transmits early signals in species ranging from flies to frogs to mice that separate an embryo into front and back or top and bottom. It also acts like Velcro, fastening a cell's internal skeleton to proteins on its external membranes that in turn connect them to other cells.
Previous studies have found other factors that govern our feelings of fear:
Glue that makes bad memories stick may help with Alzheimer's, study says
By Andrea Thompson
updated 2 hours, 25 minutes ago
Scientists may have found the glue that keeps fearful memories stuck in the brain, a discovery that could be useful in new treatments for Alzheimer's disease and post-traumatic stress disorder.
That glue seems to be a protein that is key to maintaining the structure of cells and also is essential to embryonic development, a new study suggests.
The protein, called beta-catenin, transmits early signals in species ranging from flies to frogs to mice that separate an embryo into front and back or top and bottom. It also acts like Velcro, fastening a cell's internal skeleton to proteins on its external membranes that in turn connect them to other cells.
Previous studies have found other factors that govern our feelings of fear:
One study found a 'fear factor' gene that controls how neurons fire in the brain when mice are faced with impending danger.
Another found that the brain can learn to fear something, such as a bee's sting, when we view someone else's fear.
Another recent study detailed how primates and other mammals learned to fear and avoid snakes.
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2 Native Americans shot in possible hate crime
Native American shot in fight with White group
by Alyson Zepeda - Sept. 29, 2008 06:45 PM
The Arizona Republic
A Native American man was shot in the leg and two others were injured Sunday after several White males and females wearing "white pride" T-shirts attacked two of the men. A police bias crimes unit was investigating the case.
The two men, Native Americans ages 48 and 24, were walking home from a store near 48th Avenue and Thunderbird Road when they were confronted and assaulted by several White men and women about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, Phoenix police said.
go here for more
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/09/29/20080929abrk-aggravatedassault0929-ON.html
by Alyson Zepeda - Sept. 29, 2008 06:45 PM
The Arizona Republic
A Native American man was shot in the leg and two others were injured Sunday after several White males and females wearing "white pride" T-shirts attacked two of the men. A police bias crimes unit was investigating the case.
The two men, Native Americans ages 48 and 24, were walking home from a store near 48th Avenue and Thunderbird Road when they were confronted and assaulted by several White men and women about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, Phoenix police said.
go here for more
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/09/29/20080929abrk-aggravatedassault0929-ON.html
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