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Miscellaneous stories that don't seem to fit anywhere else.
One Pound Baby Pearl
Would you give a kidney to a
stranger?
CA offers textbook case of political
correctness
Abortion Doc Killer Expects
"Reward"
Music Mirrors Your Mind
One Pound Baby Pearl
Would you give a kidney to a
stranger?
What Your Walk Says About You
Top 25 Things Vanishing From America: Going,
Going, Gone?
The Fox News Story: www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,53718,00.html
Would you give a kidney to a
stranger?
The CNN Story: www.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/05/26/stranger.kidney.ap/index.html
CA offers textbook case of political
correctness
Abortion
Doc Killer Expects "Reward"
Barring an unlikely last-minute stay, the 49-year-old former minister will be put to death by lethal injection for the 1994 murders in Pensacola of Dr. John Britton and his escort. Hill has not appealed.
He will be the first person executed in the United States for anti-abortion violence. In a jailhouse interview, Hill suggested the state will be making a martyr out of him.
"The sooner I am executed ... the sooner I am going to heaven," he said. "I expect a great reward in heaven. I am looking forward to glory. I don't feel remorse." "More people should act as I have acted," Hill added.
Abortion-rights groups worry that Hill's execution will trigger reprisals by those who share his steadfast belief that violence to stop abortion is justified. Several Florida officials connected to the case received threatening letters last week, accompanied by rifle bullets.
Gov. Jeb Bush, who was named in one of those threatening letters, said the threats would not keep him from carrying out the law. "I'm not going to be bullied," Bush said.
Bush also said: "I'm not going to change the deeply held views that I have on (the death penalty) because others have deeply held views that disagree. I totally respect them. And they should respect what the rule of law is here in our state." Death penalty opponents have also pointed to the prospect of violence as a reason to stop this execution in particular.
"We're very concerned that Paul Hill's call for violence may be
picked up by any person to whom God speaks," said Abe Bonowitz, the
head of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. "That could
be prevented. It should be."
The Fox News Story: www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,53718,00.html
Would you give a kidney to a
stranger?
The CNN Story: www.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/05/26/stranger.kidney.ap/index.html
Type of Trot: Speedy Gonzales
What Your Walk Says: If you’re a fast walker, you may also be a fast worker which is prized in some setting but also may be problematic if you’re so fast that you forget to pay attention to certain details or if you overlook something important.
Work for Your Walk: A career in data entry is super for your speed.
Quick Fix: Take time to smell the roses – or at least speak to your co-worker or interviewer—when walking. Avoid any pace that could elicit comments like “Where’s the fire, buddy!”
Type of Trot: Strutting Your Stuff
What Your Walk Says: If you’re someone who struts, you’re certainly projecting confidence and capability, but you could also be sending out signals to others that you’ve got a big ego, which could be a turnoff.
Work for Your Walk: Climbing the ladder to be an executive will allow you to strut your stuff without fear of consequences.
Quick Fix: Feel free to strut your stuff in the workplace but make sure that your strut is followed up with a humble smile and pleasant conversation to ward off any concerns of egocentrism.
Type of Trot: Clack-Clack-Clacker
What Your Walk Says: You certainly aren’t afraid to be noticed if you’re such a heavy walker that your heels announce that you’re coming way before you actually arrive, but if you work in an environment where quiet and calm is key to productivity, you could be sticking out like a sore thumb.
Work for Your Walk: Getting noticed is half of the battle as a pharmaceutical sales representative so give that career a shot if you’re a clacker.
Quick Fix: Shoe repair stores can replace your soles and heels with rubber ones for a small fee that could lead to a large promotion once the disruption ceases.
Type of Trot: Always Behind the Group
What Your Walk Says: Lagging behind in a group sends the signal that you can’t keep up or are not interested in the others, which is a problem in workplaces where team players are most valued.
Work for Your Walk: A career path like being a driver, where you can work solo instead of depending upon the group, is best.
Quick Fix: Opt for more comfortable shoes so that you can easily stay ahead of the pack instead of trailing behind.
Type of Trot: Silent Sneaker
What Your Walk Says: If no one knows you’re coming until you’ve arrived, you and your hard work may go unnoticed.
Work for Your Walk: A career as a programming analyst or a similar field where you don’t have to rely on in-person meetings to make a statement is best.
Quick Fix: Make sure that the appreciation for your abilities isn’t as muted as your walk by setting appointments with your bosses for reviews and by specifically pointing out your qualifications in interviews.
Type of Trot: Slumped Over Shoulders
What Your Walk Says: Walking into a room with your shoulders hunched over evokes a lack of confidence in oneself and one’s abilities. Potential employers or current bosses might question their confidence in you if your walk suggests that you aren’t confident in yourself.
Work for Your Walk: Hunching over the computer in an information technology job or in other technology-related jobs naturally fits your style of walk.
Quick Fix: Look in the mirror and try positioning your shoulders so that your shoulder blades are trying to touch. Your chest will open up and create a more confident walk.
Type of Trot: Eyes Straight Ahead
What Your Walk Says: If you’re known for walking with your eyes straight ahead, you’re probably known as a confident and focused worker with your eyes on the future.
Work for Your Walk: Any career like sales, where your eye contact can help seal a deal.
Quick Fix: You’ve got your eyes open so just make sure that the quality of your work matches your confidence.
Type of Trot: Slow Walker
What Your Walk Says: Some may be annoyed by a slow walker, assuming that they are ineffective, but certain types of jobs may appreciate it as a sign that you are thoughtful and detail oriented.
Work for Your Walk: A career where being careful counts, like in healthcare.
Quick Fix: If you’re a slow walker, don’t feel the need to speed up for the sake of appearances. Instead, provide your boss or potential employer with a list of projects that you’ve completed in the recent past to prove your effectiveness.
Type of Trot: The Zig-Zagger
What Your Walk Says: If you find it hard to walk in a straight line, fellow and future workmates may see you as someone who is all over the map and not especially efficient.
Work for Your Walk: Careers like those in the retail industry where multi-tasking is a part of the job description will welcome your walk.
Quick Fix: If you love to weave as you walk, try making your movements make sense by zigging to speak to someone or zagging to pick up copies, instead of just aimlessly bobbing around.
Type of Trot: Eyes Down
What Your Walk Says: People who walk with their eyes focused on the floor are not only deemed unconfident but also appear to only be focused on the here and now and not interested in what’s in front of them or upcoming events.
Work for Your Walk: A job in manufacturing, where your attention needs to be on what’s right under your nose, is a great fit.
Quick Fix: Practice having better eye contact with others
or at least focusing on something other than your shoes – your
paycheck will probably thank you!
Source: jobs.aol.com/article/_a/what-your-walk-says-about-you/20080602093609990001
Top
25 Things Vanishing From America: Going, Going, Gone?
WalletPop takes a look at 25 such things that are quickly disappearing from our country. From honey bees to checks to bowling alleys to incandescent light bulbs, we count down 25 things you may not be able to find in the U.S. for very much longer.
25. Pit Toilets
By the 2000 Census, the number of Americans who lacked indoor plumbing was down to 0.6%. Even though that's still an awful lot of Americans still using an outhouse or pit toilet -- 670,000 households or 1.3 million people -- it's a huge improvement from 1950 when 27% of households (and over half of rural households) didn't have complete indoor plumbing.
24. Yellow Pages
This year will be pivotal for the global Yellow Pages industry. Much like newspapers, print Yellow Pages will continue to bleed dollars to their various digital counterparts, from Internet Yellow Pages (IYPs), to local search engines and combination search/listing services like ReachLocal and Yodle. Factors like an acceleration of the print "fade rate" and the looming recession will contribute to the onslaught. One research firm predicts the falloff in usage of newspapers and print Yellow Pages could even reach 10% this year -- much higher than the 2%-3% fade rate seen in past years.
23. Classified Ads
The Internet has made so many things obsolete that newspaper classified ads might sound like just another trivial item on a long list. But this is one of those harbingers of the future that could signal the end of civilization as we know it. The argument is that if newspaper classifieds are replaced by free online listings at sites like Craigslist.org and Google Base, then newspapers are not far behind them.
22. Movie Rental Stores
While Netflix is looking up at the moment, Blockbuster keeps closing store locations by the hundreds. It still has about 6,000 left across the world, but those keep dwindling and the stock is down considerably in 2008, especially since the company gave up a quest of Circuit City. Movie Gallery, which owned the Hollywood Video brand, closed up shop earlier this year. Countless small video chains and mom-and-pop stores have given up the ghost already.
21. Dial-up Internet Access
Dial-up connections have fallen from 40% in 2001 to 10% in 2008. The combination of an infrastructure to accommodate affordable high speed Internet connections and the disappearing home phone have all but pounded the final nail in the coffin of dial up Internet access.
20. Phone Landlines
According to a survey from the National Center for Health Statistics, at the end of 2007, nearly one in six homes was cell-only and, of those homes that had landlines, one in eight only received calls on their cells.
19. Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs
Maryland's icon, the blue crab, has been fading away in Chesapeake Bay. Last year Maryland saw the lowest harvest (22 million pounds) since 1945. Just four decades ago the bay produced 96 million pounds.The population is down 70% since 1990, when they first did a formal count. There are only about 120 million crabs in the bay and they think they need 200 million for a sustainable population. Overfishing, pollution, invasive species and global warming get the blame.
18. VCRs
For the better part of three decades, the VCR was a best-seller and staple in every American household until being completely decimated by the DVD, and now the Digital Video Recorder (DVR). In fact, the only remnants of the VHS age at your local Wal-Mart or Radio Shack are blank VHS tapes these days. Pre-recorded VHS tapes are largely gone and VHS decks are practically nowhere to be found.
17. Ash Trees
In the late 1990s, a pretty, irridescent green species of beetle, now known as the emerald ash borer, hitched a ride to North America with ash wood products imported from eastern Asia. In less than a decade, its larvae have killed millions of trees in the midwest, and continue to spread. They've killed more than 30 million ash trees in southeastern Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Ohio and Indiana. More than 7.5 billion ash trees are currently at risk.
16. Ham Radio
Amateur radio operators enjoy personal (and often worldwide) wireless communications with each other and are able to support their communities with emergency and disaster communications if necessary, while increasing their personal knowledge of electronics and radio theory. However, proliferation of the Internet and its popularity among youth has caused the decline of amateur radio. In the past five years alone, the number of people holding active ham radio licenses has dropped by 50,000, even though Morse Code is no longer a requirement.
15. The Swimming Hole
Thanks to our litigious society, swimming holes are becoming a thing of the past. '20/20' reports that swimming hole owners, like Robert Every in High Falls, N.Y., are shutting them down out of worry that if someone gets hurt they'll sue. And that's exactly what happened in Seattle. The city of Bellingham was sued by Katie Hofstetter who was paralyzed in a fall at a popular swimming hole in Whatcom Falls Park. As injuries occur and lawsuits follow, expect more swimming holes to post "Keep out!" signs.
14. Answering Machines
The increasing disappearance of answering machines is directly tied to No. 20 our list -- the decline of landlines. According to USA Today, the number of homes that only use cell phones jumped 159% between 2004 and 2007. It has been particularly bad in New York; since 2000, landline usage has dropped 55%. It's logical that as cell phones rise, many of them replacing traditional landlines, that there will be fewer answering machines.
14. Answering Machines
The increasing disappearance of answering machines is directly tied to No. 20 our list -- the decline of landlines. According to USA Today, the number of homes that only use cell phones jumped 159% between 2004 and 2007. It has been particularly bad in New York; since 2000, landline usage has dropped 55%. It's logical that as cell phones rise, many of them replacing traditional landlines, that there will be fewer answering machines.
13. Cameras That Use Film
It doesn't require a statistician to prove the rapid disappearance of the film camera in America. Just look to companies like Nikon, the professional's choice for quality camera equipment. In 2006, it announced that it would stop making film cameras, pointing to the shrinking market -- only 3% of its sales in 2005, compared to 75% of sales from digital cameras and equipment.
12. Incandescent Bulbs
Before a few years ago, the standard 60-watt (or, yikes, 100-watt) bulb was the mainstay of every U.S. home. With the green movement and all-things-sustainable-energy crowd, the Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb (CFL) is largely replacing the older, Edison-era incandescent bulb. The EPA reports that 2007 sales for Energy Star CFLs nearly doubled from 2006, and these sales accounted for approximately 20 percent of the U.S. light bulb market. And according to USA Today, a new energy bill plans to phase out incandescent bulbs in the next four to 12 years.
11. Stand-Alone Bowling Alleys
BowlingBalls.US claims there are still 60 million Americans who bowl at least once a year, but many are not bowling in stand-alone bowling alleys. Today most new bowling alleys are part of facilities for all types or recreation including laser tag, go-karts, bumper cars, video game arcades, climbing walls and glow miniature golf. Bowling lanes also have been added to many non-traditional venues such as adult communities, hotels and resorts, and gambling casinos.
10. The Milkman
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 1950, over half of the milk delivered was to the home in quart bottles, by 1963, it was about a third and by 2001, it represented only 0.4% percent. Nowadays most milk is sold through supermarkets in gallon jugs. The steady decline in home-delivered milk is blamed, of course, on the rise of the supermarket, better home refrigeration and longer-lasting milk. Although some milkmen still make the rounds in pockets of the U.S., they are certainly a dying breed.
9. Hand-Written Letters
In 2006, the Radicati Group estimated that, worldwide, 183 billion e-mails were sent each day. Two million each second. By November of 2007, an estimated 3.3 billion Earthlings owned cell phones, and 80% of the world's population had access to cell phone coverage. In 2004, half-a-trillion text messages were sent, and the number has no doubt increased exponentially since then. So where amongst this gorge of gabble is there room for the elegant, polite hand-written letter?
8. Wild Horses
It is estimated that 100 years ago, as many as two million horses were roaming free within the United States. In 2001, National Geographic News estimated that the wild horse population had decreased to about 50,000 head. Currently, the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory board states that there are 32,000 free roaming horses in ten Western states, with half of them residing in Nevada. The Bureau of Land Management is seeking to reduce the total number of free range horses to 27,000, possibly by selective euthanasia.
7. Personal Checks
According to an American Bankers Assoc. report, a net 23% of consumers plan to decrease their use of checks over the next two years, while a net 14% plan to increase their use of PIN debit. Bill payment remains the last stronghold of paper-based payments -- for the time being. Checks continue to be the most commonly used bill payment method, with 71% of consumers paying at least one recurring bill per month by writing a check. However, on a bill-by-bill basis, checks account for only 49% of consumers' recurring bill payments (down from 72% in 2001 and 60% in 2003).
6. Drive-in Theaters
During the peak in 1958, there were more than 4,000 drive-in theaters in this country, but in 2007 only 405 drive-ins were still operating. Exactly zero new drive-ins have been built since 2005. Only one reopened in 2005 and five reopened in 2006, so there isn't much of a movement toward reviving the closed ones.
5. Mumps & Measles
Despite what's been in the news lately, the measles and mumps actually, truly are disappearing from the United States. In 1964, 212,000 cases of mumps were reported in the U.S. By 1983, this figure had dropped to 3,000, thanks to a vigorous vaccination program. Prior to the introduction of the measles vaccine, approximately half a million cases of measles were reported in the U.S. annually, resulting in 450 deaths. In 2005, only 66 cases were recorded.
4. Honey Bees
Perhaps nothing on our list of disappearing America is so dire; plummeting so enormously; and so necessary to the survival of our food supply as the honey bee. 'Colony Collapse Disorder,' or CCD, has spread throughout the U.S. and Europe over the past few years, wiping out 50% to 90% of the colonies of many beekeepers -- and along with it, their livelihood.
3. News Magazines and TV News
While the TV evening newscasts haven't gone anywhere over the last several decades, their audiences have. In 1984, in a story about the diminishing returns of the evening news, the New York Times reported that all three network evening-news programs combined had only 40.9 million viewers. Fast forward to 2008, and what they have today is half that.
2. Analog TV
According to the Consumer Electronics Association, 85% of homes in the U.S. get their television programming through cable or satellite providers. For the remaining 15% -- or 13 million individuals -- who are using rabbit ears or a large outdoor antenna to get their local stations, change is in the air. If you are one of these people you'll need to get a new TV or a converter box in order to get the new stations which will only be broadcast in digital.
1. The Family Farm
Since the 1930s, the number of family farms has been declining
rapidly. According to the USDA, 5.3 million farms dotted the nation
in 1950, but this number had declined to 2.1 million by the 2003 farm
census (data from the 2007 census hasn't yet been published).
Ninety-one percent of the U.S. farms are small family farms.
Source:
www.walletpop.com/specials/top-25-things-vanishing-from-america?icid=200100397x1205495531x1200290687
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