Darwin Award nominee

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Woman shoots her brother while posing for facebook pics with weapons after drinking all night.  Oh and for bonus points, she's underaged.  Link here

It probably doesn't actually qualify for the Darwin Award because the death wasn't actually self inflicted.  Close enough for me.  He's still dead as a result of a stupid act.   Story notes she may face manslaughter charges it turns out she was drunk.

The story doesn't mention many details (as usual).  What kind of gun was involved?  What steps were taken (if any) to ensure the gun was unloaded.  What poses involved pointing a gun at her brother's head and pulling the trigger?

dumbschitz.

Cooper's four rules of gun handling:
1.  All guns are always loaded
2.  Never point a gun at anything you do not want to destroy.
3.  Keep your finger off the trigger until the sights are on the target.
4.  Be sure of your target and what is beyond.

All four rules have to be broken before someone may be hurt by an accidental discharge.  Any one rule will break the chain.

We're Sorry

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We bears staged a 24 hour sit-down strike over the "dog incident".  However, today Den Dad had a talk with us.  He explained that it's all about Love.  Except for Love, we bears would be just stuffed pieces of fabric sitting on a shelf somewhere.  It's Love that makes everything Real.  He told us some of the story of Gracie (the dog) and how she was rescued from an animal shelter,  Without Love she would be dead now!  Love made her Real.  It even extends to people.  "You're nobody until somebody loves you."  Den Dad said it's even bigger than that.  Not only being Loved, but also Loving others makes you better (or more Real).  He explained that Love is not something that should be bottled or limited but that it works best if it is given away and flows out into the world.  In fact, he said, Loving others: people, pets (even dogs), bears, plants, flowers, mountains, whatever - is the greatest thing we can do!  So, we will apologize to Gracie (if we ever meet her in person).  Den Dad left us to study a quotation.  We think he picked it up at church.  If you can believe, we are reciting it below!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

We're HOME!

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Hi Folks! Rudy here!  Happy Valentine's Day - a day we really Love! We made it home today.  During our trip we were away for 64 days - 61 of them in the U.S.A.  We covered 11,593 kms. 
Last night there was snow in Calgary so we saw it when we started out this morning.

Snow! and you can see some sad flowers by the doorway.
We're sad too when we think of all the beautiful flowers in California.

They are far in the distance but you can see the snow-capped Rockies on the horizon.
We saw mountains on every day of our vacation!

Some typical Alberta farm land.
(the farm on the right edge, distant, was once owned by Henry Wise Wood)

After a leisurely lunch in Red Deer - we reach Edmonton ...

... and then our "home hamlet" - Sherwood Park.

And here we are at home!
We would like to thank Margaret and Jim for looking after our condo,
and all the other bears, while we were away.
And a big thanks to Barb and her bears -
our most loyal blog follower.

 This is our last entry for this blog.
Thanks to all those who followed along and sent messages
of encouragement and appreciation.
Remember - it is Love that keeps us Real!
(for other adventures you can still visit www.fosterlearning.com)

it's a beautiful mornin'

To contact us Click HERE
What a nice day it was today. I took the day off work to clear my mind and relax. This job has sucked out all my energy, so I needed a day for myself.
I watched Time Travelers Wife which was pretty good. I am a sucker for Rachel McAdams movies. Love her. I walked to the local Chinese food place, picked up some Kung Pao and then walked home and enjoyed the deliciousness.
Monday night I went to Target to see if they had Never Let Me Go. Figured they wouldn't, since it's a British film. I ran into my friends younger brother and as we were talking in the DVD section, when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted it!!! I bought it and immediately went home to watch it! It was so good and so sad. I kind of want to watch it again. I am a sucker for any Keira Knightley movie. haha.
Last weekend I went to a BBQ birthday party for a friend. I took Greg with me. Good times. We drank Polish beer. Nom. We went out to Cho Cho San's that night and devoured sushi.
Friday was Good Friday and we had no work, so I went vintage shopping with Shawn out in Hollywood on Melrose. We ate lunch at the Snake Pit Ale House (and enjoyed a couple ale's). I found the cutest vintage leather vest from Argentina and the cutttest 70's baby doll dress with pretty flowers on it. Love.

Jerry's Deli is so yum

To contact us Click HERE






I got my hair done this weekend! Lightened it up a bit for summer. I like it. Thankfully I've got a tan now, so it helps to not wash me out. Speaking of tan...I got St. Tropez self tanner from Sephora. It works AMAZING!!! I am loving it so very much! :)

Hung out in Westwood with Katie last weekend. Here are some photos..















































































P.S. We ate at Jerry's deli for lunch. I ate the yummiest mushroom, grilled onions and motzorella cheese pinini on cheddar cheese bread. <3

Mummers: Complete List Of Winner Announced!

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Here is the complete list of winners from today's Philadelphia Mummers Parade:

String Band Division
1 Fralinger
2 Quaker City
3 Woodland
4 So. Philadelphia
5 Ferko
6- TIE Hegerman
6- TIE Avalon
8 Aqua
9 Polish American
10 Uptown
11 Pennsport
12 Duffy
13 Broomall
14 Durning
15 Greater Kensington
16 Greater Overbrook
17 Trilby

Comics Division
1 Murray
2 Goodtimers
3 Landi

Fancy Division
1 Hog Island
2. Golden Sunrise

Fancy Brigades
1 South Philly Vikings
2 Downtowners
3 Saturnalian
4 Avenuers
5 Shooting Stars
6 Jokers
7 Golden Crown
8 Satin Slipper
9 Clevemore
10 2nd St. Shooters

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Christie, Cuomo Decry Delay On Hurricane Relief $$$

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Joint Statement of Governors Christie and Cuomo on Congressional Failure to Pass Hurricane Sandy Relief Package

With all that New York and New Jersey and our millions of residents and small businesses have suffered and endured, this continued inaction and indifference by the House of Representatives is inexcusable. It has now been 66 days since Hurricane Sandy hit and 27 days since President Obama put forth a responsible aid proposal that passed with a bipartisan vote in the Senate while the House has failed to even bring it to the floor. This failure to come to the aid of Americans following a severe and devastating natural disaster is unprecedented. The fact that days continue to go by while people suffer, families are out of their homes, and men and women remain jobless and struggling during these harsh winter months is a dereliction of duty. When American citizens are in need we come to their aid. That tradition was abandoned in the House last night.

The people of our states can no long afford to wait while politicians in Washington play games.

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Christie To Congress: Get Act Together NOW!

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Delay in Action on Hurricane Disaster Relief Funding UnprecedentedCongressional Action By the Numbers

“I would hope that the people in Congress could get their act together for about fifteen minutes and help people who are suffering. …If the Congress can’t even help Americans who have had their homes and their lives destroyed by a natural disaster then they might as well just board the place up and close it down.”-Governor Chris Christie, December 21, 2012

Hurricane Sandy made landfall on October 29, 2012
39 days later…
The White House submits a request for $60.4 billion to Congress (The White House, 12/7/12)
21 days later…
The Senate approves the request from The White House (Reuters, 12/28/12)
66 days later…
The House of Representatives “Fails to Take Up Sandy Aid Bill”  (Andrew Grossman, “House Fails to Take Up Sandy Aid Bill, Wall Street Journal, 1/2/13)

From landfall to signing of a relief package: Still Waiting

Unprecedented Refusal to Act in Comparison to Other Severe and Devastating Disasters
Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005
4 days later…
Congress approves and President Bush signs $10.5 billion in emergency relief.  (The Associated Press, 9/2/05; HR 3645)
5 days later…
The White House submits a request for $51.8 billion to Congress.  (The Washington Post, 9/8/05)
1 day later…
Congress passes and President Bush signs $51.8 billion relief package. (The Associated Press, 9/8/05; HR 3673)
From landfall to signing of a relief package: 10 days

Hurricane Gustav made landfall on September 1, 2008 and Hurricane Ike 12 days later
11 days later…
The House of Representatives passes H.R.2638 (Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009) which includes over $20 billion in Hurricane Gustav and Ike relief funding.(www.govtrack.us, Accessed: December 31, 2012)
3 days later…
The Senate passes the same bill. (www.govtrack.us, Accessed: December 31, 2012)
3 days later…
President Bush signs the "Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009" which includes over $20 billion in relief funding. (Press Release, “Statement by the President on H.R. 2638, the "Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009", The White House, September 30, 2008, Accessed: December 31, 2012

From landfall to signing of an initial relief package: 17 days
Hurricane Andrew made landfall on August 24, 1992
25 days later…
A federal aid package was approved by both the House and Senate (Congressional Record, Daily Digest, Accessed: January 2, 2013)
5 days later…
The aid package was signed by President George H. W. Bush (www.govtrack.us, Accessed: January 2, 2013)

From landfall to signing of an initial relief package: 31 days

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Patti Page: Remembering A Great Songstress

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Patti Page really was the singing rage.
She was a hugely successful singer with strong country roots. But she topped all the charts at one time of another.
She made "Tennessee Waltz" one of the best-selling recordings ever and who can forget her wildly successful novelty song "How Much Is That Doggy In The Window?"
Patti Page has died. She was 85.
She died yesterday in Encinitas, Calif., according to her manager.
She was one of the top-selling female singers in history with more than 100 million record sales.
In 1947, she created a distinctive sound for the music industry by overdubbing her own voice when she didn't have enough money to hire backup singers for the single, "Confess."
What a string of great hits she had! Patti Page had 24 records in the top 10, including four that reached No. 1. And did you know that she was also the first singer to have television programs on all three major networks, including "The Patti Page Show" on ABC?
Patti Page had a plesant, easy-going personality and a wonderful stage demeanor. People loved her and she never tired of singing all her great hits.
Patti Page was one of America’s true musical icons. In the course of her seven-decade recording career, she become a living legend and one of the biggest selling female recording artists in history.
Patti’s silky-smooth voice engulfed the airwaves during the ‘50s and ‘60s, providing her with a staggering 111 hits, 15 gold records and four gold albums. Patti became the first crossover artist to take country music out of the country and onto the pop charts with such million record sellers as “Mockin’ Bird Hill,” “I Went To Your Wedding,” “Mister & Mississippi,” and, of course, the legendary “Tennessee Waltz,” which was #1 concurrently on all three charts (Pop, Country, & R&B) and sold more than 20 million copies. She was also the first artist to use multiple voice techniques on records.
Her accomplishments remain unparalleled.
She continued to use her sweet, tranquil voice to touch the hearts of many generations, recording four new albums in the past six years, one of which received a Grammy.
Until recently, she enjoyed performing 50 select concerts throughout the year, sharing her incredible list of chart-topping classics with her fans.She will be missed!

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Corbett Sues NCAA For 'Illegal' PSU Sanctions

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Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett today announced that he is suing the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), calling its sanctions against Penn State University arbitrary and illegal, saying they would result in irreparable economic damage to the university, the commonwealth and its citizens.

“Penn State football has played a major role, not only as a focus of campus life, but as a generator of revenue for a proud university, a leading tourist attraction and a creator of jobs in the state,’’ Corbett said.

“In the wake of this terrible scandal, Penn State was left to heal and clean up this tragedy that was created by the few. The students, the alumni, the board, the administration and faculty all came together at that moment and began to rebuild.

“At that same time, while the healing was taking place, the NCAA piled on, choosing to levy, in their words, ‘unprecedented sanctions’ against Penn State and its football program,’’ Corbett said.

“While what occurred at Penn State was both criminal and heinous,’’ Corbett said, “the conduct for which Penn State was sanctioned consisted of alleged failures to report criminal activity on campus that did not impact fairness or integrity on the playing field.’’

“These punishments threaten to have a devastating, long-lasting and irreparable effect on the state, its citizens and its economy,’’ Corbett said.

The governor, on behalf of Pennsylvania’s citizens, asked the court to throw out all of the NCAA’s sanctions, including the $60 million fine, and asked that the court declare the consent agreement illegal.

After months of research and deliberation, as well as discussions with alumni, students, faculty, business owners and elected officials, Corbett said he has concluded that the NCAA’s sanctions were “overreaching and unlawful.’’

“The only logical conclusion is that the NCAA did it because they benefited from the penalties and because the leadership of the NCAA believed they could. And that’s wrong,’’ Corbett said.

“These sanctions are an attack on past, present and future students of Penn State, the citizens of our commonwealth and our economy. As governor of this commonwealth, I cannot and will not stand by and let it happen without a fight.’’

The lawsuit, to be filed today in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg, also accuses the NCAA of forcing Penn State president Rodney Erickson into silent compliance with its sanctions by threatening to impose even more debilitating sanctions to the football program.

Corbett called NCAA's application of enforcement "arbitrary and capricious" with the intent of crippling Penn State football and harming the citizens of Pennsylvania who benefit from a successful football program at Penn State.

Such benefits, the governor added, range from a college student waitressing at a State College restaurant and local business owners, to its tremendous financial contribution to the university and the state.

The NCAA is a trade association whose major purpose is to set the rules for competition in intercollegiate athletics and exists by mutual consent of its members.

“However, the NCAA leadership can’t make up its own rules,’’ Corbett said. In this case, “a handful of top NCAA officials simply inserted themselves into an issue they had no authority to police and one that was clearly being handled by the justice system.’’

The fact that the alleged actions of those involved in the tragic events at Penn State were criminal, and that no violation of NCAA rules had been identified, would not dissuade Mark Emmert, NCAA president, from seizing upon the international publicity to make a show of unprecedented and aggressive discipline.

The NCAA simply informed Penn State what the punishments would be, threatening that if Penn State did not waive its right to due process and accept the sanctions offered, the NCAA would impose the "death penalty" for four years, which would forbid the football team from all competition.

The type of "complete cooperation" Emmert advised Penn State was clear: Accept unprecedented sanctions and ignore the NCAA's flagrant disregard of its own procedures in issuing such sanctions or Penn State would wish it had.

Penn State had no practical alternative but to accept the sanctions, including releasing players from their commitment to play in State College.

The additional four-year ban on bowl games will result in a drastic reduction in scholarships for a football team consisting of coaches and players who had nothing to do with the criminal conduct.

“They wiped out the wins for football alumni – who proudly wore the Penn State uniform and represented the university well during their time in school,’’ Corbett added.

Penn State’s football program is more than just a success on the playing field, it perennially boasts one of the highest graduation rates among Division I football programs and has been a significant economic driver of the university, playing an important role in enabling the university to offer a variety of first-rate programs through resources other than student tuition.

In addition:

• It was the second most profitable collegiate athletic program in the nation in 2010-11, earning more than $50 million, and was the most profitable program among its immediate competitors in the Big Ten Conference. 
• It was the most valuable contributor to intercollegiate expenses for all student-athletes at the university, providing 37 percent of revenue for athletic programs in the 2011 fiscal year. At the same time, the football program amounted to only 15 percent of athletics expenses. 
• “The university is an economic engine, creating jobs, not only university-related jobs, but jobs in the hotel, restaurant and tourism industry and generating hundreds of millions of dollars for businesses of all sizes in the commonwealth.’’ 

Specifically, Penn State‘s football program:

• Brings in an estimated 15 percent of visitors to Penn State football games from outside the state; 
• Generated $161.5 million to business volume impact in 2009, with $90 million benefitting Centre County alone; 
• Spent $16 million in Pennsylvania on goods and services with contractors and vendors in 2009 – essentially pumping money back into the state’s economy; 
• Creates about 2,200 jobs - both direct jobs, such as box office and concession staff, and indirect jobs, such as shopkeepers to restaurant and hotel staff; and 
• Generates more than $5 million in tax revenue and supports a number of community programs run through and in conjunction with football and student athletics. 

“The NCAA and its president, Mark Emmert, seized upon the opportunity for publicity for their own benefit to make a showing of aggressive discipline on the backs of the citizens of our commonwealth and Penn State University,’’ Corbett said, “and this is why I have chosen to fight this in the courts.’’

“These sanctions did not punish Sandusky for his despicable and criminal action. Nor did they punish the others who have been charged criminally. Rather, they punished the past, present and future students, current and former student athletes, faculty members, local businesses and the citizens of Pennsylvania who have come to cherish this great university.’’

To view the lawsuit, visit:

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/document/1309300/psulaw_pdf

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Video, or it didn't happen!

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Crimson Trace Midnight 3-gun.

(Seriously, I can't imagine a more phenomenal event. I mean, 3-gun is fun as all get out. But to do it on a no moon night with all the technology to light up the night, Over the top! Glad they grabbed a couple bloggers to attend.

Now the "failure" seems to be "Ok, how do you show this to the world?". I mean, you've come up with the coolest shooting event ever. Only problem is you can't share it with the anyone.

I have some ideas on how it could possibly done, but video is not a strong suit and I'm not up on the technology. Still it seems the technology that allows the shooter to see the target, could also be used to show the action.

Maybe they just could simplify the situation and incorporate some of Joe H's expertise with reactive targets! Keep 'em small and they won't affect the night vision (much ;-).

Again, video or it didn't happen!
(Wish I were there)

(And if there is video out there, I will happily stand corrected and link to same).  Do tell!

We're Sorry

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We bears staged a 24 hour sit-down strike over the "dog incident".  However, today Den Dad had a talk with us.  He explained that it's all about Love.  Except for Love, we bears would be just stuffed pieces of fabric sitting on a shelf somewhere.  It's Love that makes everything Real.  He told us some of the story of Gracie (the dog) and how she was rescued from an animal shelter,  Without Love she would be dead now!  Love made her Real.  It even extends to people.  "You're nobody until somebody loves you."  Den Dad said it's even bigger than that.  Not only being Loved, but also Loving others makes you better (or more Real).  He explained that Love is not something that should be bottled or limited but that it works best if it is given away and flows out into the world.  In fact, he said, Loving others: people, pets (even dogs), bears, plants, flowers, mountains, whatever - is the greatest thing we can do!  So, we will apologize to Gracie (if we ever meet her in person).  Den Dad left us to study a quotation.  We think he picked it up at church.  If you can believe, we are reciting it below!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

We're HOME!

To contact us Click HERE
Hi Folks! Rudy here!  Happy Valentine's Day - a day we really Love! We made it home today.  During our trip we were away for 64 days - 61 of them in the U.S.A.  We covered 11,593 kms. 
Last night there was snow in Calgary so we saw it when we started out this morning.

Snow! and you can see some sad flowers by the doorway.
We're sad too when we think of all the beautiful flowers in California.

They are far in the distance but you can see the snow-capped Rockies on the horizon.
We saw mountains on every day of our vacation!

Some typical Alberta farm land.
(the farm on the right edge, distant, was once owned by Henry Wise Wood)

After a leisurely lunch in Red Deer - we reach Edmonton ...

... and then our "home hamlet" - Sherwood Park.

And here we are at home!
We would like to thank Margaret and Jim for looking after our condo,
and all the other bears, while we were away.
And a big thanks to Barb and her bears -
our most loyal blog follower.

 This is our last entry for this blog.
Thanks to all those who followed along and sent messages
of encouragement and appreciation.
Remember - it is Love that keeps us Real!
(for other adventures you can still visit www.fosterlearning.com)

it's a beautiful mornin'

To contact us Click HERE
What a nice day it was today. I took the day off work to clear my mind and relax. This job has sucked out all my energy, so I needed a day for myself.
I watched Time Travelers Wife which was pretty good. I am a sucker for Rachel McAdams movies. Love her. I walked to the local Chinese food place, picked up some Kung Pao and then walked home and enjoyed the deliciousness.
Monday night I went to Target to see if they had Never Let Me Go. Figured they wouldn't, since it's a British film. I ran into my friends younger brother and as we were talking in the DVD section, when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted it!!! I bought it and immediately went home to watch it! It was so good and so sad. I kind of want to watch it again. I am a sucker for any Keira Knightley movie. haha.
Last weekend I went to a BBQ birthday party for a friend. I took Greg with me. Good times. We drank Polish beer. Nom. We went out to Cho Cho San's that night and devoured sushi.
Friday was Good Friday and we had no work, so I went vintage shopping with Shawn out in Hollywood on Melrose. We ate lunch at the Snake Pit Ale House (and enjoyed a couple ale's). I found the cutest vintage leather vest from Argentina and the cutttest 70's baby doll dress with pretty flowers on it. Love.

Jerry's Deli is so yum

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I got my hair done this weekend! Lightened it up a bit for summer. I like it. Thankfully I've got a tan now, so it helps to not wash me out. Speaking of tan...I got St. Tropez self tanner from Sephora. It works AMAZING!!! I am loving it so very much! :)

Hung out in Westwood with Katie last weekend. Here are some photos..















































































P.S. We ate at Jerry's deli for lunch. I ate the yummiest mushroom, grilled onions and motzorella cheese pinini on cheddar cheese bread. <3