More Windows 8 Fun

Well my grocery list of problems is quickly shortened after a full day of research in Windows 8. 

At the moment my concerns are:

• transferring iTunes library and iphone/ipad backups
• transferring photo catalog and Lightroom databases
• review of missing plug ins for Lightroom and Mozilla
• last sweep of old XP installation for programs to reaquire

The good news is; I would say I’ve already met about 80% of my computing needs as is.  I could always start over with my Lightroom catalog [although I’d rather not!], and the photos are backed up and can be sucked backwards from the NAS unit as well… but iTunes is my biggest hurdle.  

From what I’ve read, iTunes is a pain in the ass to move if you have manually edited your music library and save data.  That means me.  Its also a royal pain in the ass because it’s a closed vault system, with everything encrypted in one large cluster-fuck file format [save data].  So if there are any expert migrators with iTunes success, I’m all ears.  

So far though; I'm pleased with the progress.   The power consumption of the new hardware is incredibly low for the features I have. It reboots from the suspend state in seconds… which is jaw dropping compared to XP or even Vista.  And the cold boot process is probably around 30 seconds—of which about 8 seconds sits and waits for the bios to load and pass before rolling into Windows.

My core I5 at 3.4ghz is humming along, 16gb of ram doesn’t seem taxed in the least [although I am going to double it shortly!] and I have a second 2tb disk waiting to get dropped in the bays.   Once I decide what the fate of the old beige box will be, there are two more 2tb drives to migrate into blackie black box.  At this point, I’m considering keeping the XP install as it is, and adding a Linux install on the beige box.  If I go that route, I will be adding in a kvm to the mix to alternate.  At this stage the worst piece of hardware in there is the on-board graphics. I hadn’t planned on doing a lot of gaming anymore, and I know nothing about the changes in GPUs' and slots for that… Plus, it seems to render all the environment without issue, and crunches photo data without complaint.   Cross my fingers; this is working out well.

A lot of my initial frustration with the OS has to do with the complete redesign.  But the widgets are really growing on me.  If the availability was a bit wider; or if I learned how to code what I wanted; it would be great!  The biggest disappointment has been Google of all people… they still deny the existence of Windows 8 widgets so it seems.   Actually per a short interview, http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57558839-93/google-no-immediate-plans-for-google-apps-on-windows-8/ The G unit feels there isn’t demand for any of their services that aren’t satisfied by cloud computing needs.  I disagree.  I really feel this would benefit from a quick, light weight Chrome window to run at the start screen, as well as a Google Drive process start screen.  Lets be honest, both of their major competitors in the cloud drive market are here with apps of their own [Dropbox and Microsoft's SkyDrive], and with Microsoft populating the experience in email and calendar, two more key area’s I prefer Google services, I really feel this is an oversight on Google’s part.  From the horse’s mouth:

"Our goal is to be able to offer our users a seamless app experience across all platforms and want to make our products available to as many people as possible," the representative said. "We're always evaluating different platforms, but have no detailed plans to share at this time."

Google Apps include Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides, as well as Gmail and Calendar.   [-- From Cnet article by Casey Newton.]

Not knowing what the licensing has to be for using the apps/widget process in Win8, I would still expect that the cloud sourced options of Google Docs would buy up a shitload of market share… as Microsoft still charges for Office 365 product line, and even it doesn’t have a descent app/widget.  Google could be king, steamrolling Microsoft at their own game, on their own platform. 

http://qctimes.com/news/local/former-mayor-pleads-guilty-to-theft-charges/article_b5a86eba-d7f9-11e1-be68-001a4bcf887a.html

Its not every day, in every city, a former cop/ former mayor gets to plead guilty for theft.     Not only theft, but while working for a pawn shop in the downtown area....  Not only for a pawnshop, but falsifying records for fake pawns, then pocketing about 10k in cash.    Yeah.  Thats a Quad Cities kind of day.  Keep it classy out there folks.


Hello Quad Cities!!!!

Pappa's Got A Brand New Zombie!

James Brown's body is 'missing from its crypt', alleges singer's daughter

by Daily Mail Reporter [available online: Daily Mail, March 12 2010]

James Brown's daughter has claimed the singer's body has gone missing from its crypt.

LaRhonda Pettit, 48, alleges the body of Brown, who died in December 2006 aged 73, is being hidden to prevent a full autopsy being carried out.

Ms Pettit said the official cause of death, which was said to be a heart attack brought by pneumonia, is not the real reason behind the Godfather of Soul's passing.

Ms Pettit, who underwent a DNA test in 2007 to prove she was Brown's daughter, believes there were several people involved in Brown's death.

She said: 'My daddy's body has disappeared. I have no clue where it was taken, but I need to know where.

'I'm convinced his death was suspicious and I want the people responsible brought to justice.

'The only way to do that is to exhume his body and have an autopsy. I cannot understand why one was never conducted.'

She added to America's Globe newspaper: 'It was common knowledge that my daddy took illegal drugs.

'He was also hooked on various prescription painkillers. At the very least there were enablers who helped cause his death.'

Ms Pettit, who is 99.99 per cent likely to be Brown's daughter, said the singer had a relationship with her mother after meeting her at one of his performances in the 1960s.

She is one of 12 people who came forward following Brown's death claiming to be one of his illegitimate children.

Brown's body is said to have been sealed in a temporary crypt at his daughter Deanna's South Carolina Home while arrangements are made for his permanent burial.

--------------------------------------------------------

While the fact that James Brown is a zombie, is not news; it IS however newsworthy that Zombie James Brown is, for lack of a logical reason, out on a zombie binge and can not be caught dead... ALIVE in his temporary crypt. Which is at his daughters home. Thats been there since 2006. Begging the question, what really is temporary anymore? Not even death. Not when you are Zombie James Brown, and you feel GOOD!

Dad chained car bumper to teen son, police say

article by: Ann Mcglynn [available online via QCTimes.net] Oct. 5th 2009

A Davenport father who allegedly chained a detached bumper from a 1979 Camaro to his son's ankle is facing a criminal charge after police say he admitted to doing so in an attempt to keep the 14-year-old from running away.

Richard Allen Collins, 37, of 1516 W. 7th St., is accused of child endangerment with bodily injury. His brother, James Harry Collins, 43, of the same address, is accused of assault with injury.

Authorities became involved late Sunday afternoon when Richard Collins called the police reporting his 14-year-old son was out of control.

According to reports:

The teen ran away from his father's house on Wednesday because "his father routinely beats and hits him," the police report states. The teen had visible signs of injury to his face.

He found a ride to Wilton, Iowa, where he was picked up by the police for jaywalking. The police called Richard Collins to pick up his son Sunday, but the teen said he did not want to go home with his father because he was afraid of being beaten.

The teen did eventually leave the police department with his dad, who arrived with James Collins to pick him up.

In the car on the way back to Davenport, there was a physical altercation between Richard Collins and his son. It is disputed as to whether it was just Richard Collins hitting his son, or if both participated, police reports indicate.

Once at the house, the physical altercation continued. Richard Collins told his son to go to his room. Reports indicate the 14-year-old damaged items in his room and threatened to run away again.

Richard and James Collins then wrapped a log chain around the teen's ankle and padlocked it. The opposite end of the chain was attached to what was later described as a heavy car bumper retrieved from the garage.

The windows in the teen's bedroom are screwed shut, the police report noted, also to prevent the teen from running away.

The car bumper was left chained to the teen's ankle for up to 30 minutes. After it was unhooked, Richard Collins called the police.

The Iowa Department of Human Services is involved. The teen was released to his mother.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Man jumps from I-74 bridge, captured by police

by Tory Brecht, and Dustin Lemmon [available online via QCTimes.net September 14 2009]

A man who jumped off the Interstate 74 bridge tonight was captured by a Bettendorf police officer who commandeered a recreational boat as part of a Mississippi River search for the suspect.

Lt. Warren Beine of the Bettendorf Police Department identified the man who was arrested less than an hour after the incident began as Brian Moore, 27, of Moline. He is being held at the Scott County Jail and is expected to be charged with theft and interference with official acts. Other charges may be pending.

Beine said the arrest, stemming from an incident that began about 6:30 p.m. was a case of strong cooperation and coordination between Bettendorf and Moline police and firefighters.

Beine gave this account of the incident:

Bettendorf police received a call from a convenience store near the bridge that a suspect had attempted to steal liquor and took off on foot.

A witness told police the suspect got in a car headed toward the bridge and gave police the auto's license plate number.

A Bettendorf officer was already on the bridge, attending to a minor auto accident that had slowed traffic to a crawl on the Illinois-bound span when the call came in, so the officer approached the car in question.

The suspect got out of his car and the officer attempted to make an arrest only to have the man refuse to comply and walk away from him while they were in the middle of the bridge where there is an area that is used by official vehicles as a turnaround spot.

Although the officer did not feel he was in danger, he attempted to use a taser to prevent the man from escaping. However, only one of the device's two barbs went in the man's skin, so it failed to incapacitate him.

"Then the guy turned and jumped off the bridge," Beine said.

The officer looked over the railing and saw that the man was swimming, trying to escape. The water below the bridge at that location is only seven-feet deep. At that point, the Bettendorf police and Moline Fire Department launched rescue boats while a Bettendorf officer at nearby Leach Park commandeered a privately owned boat.

The suspect briefly avoided capture by intermittently hiding under water and then coming up for air, but he soon was captured and pulled aboard the fire department boat.

Paramedics checked the man and said he was not injured by the taser attempt, his jump or the time spent in the water.

------------------------------------------

Depends if you ever been over this bridge or not, but ... its not the tallest bridge in the area... but I'd guess its probably 30 feet from the deck to the water. Its not something I'd be jumping off. Welcome to Stupid.

Donkey Business: The only zebra in Gaza.

By Sharon Weinberger Posted Thursday, July 23, 2009, [available online via Slate.com]

GAZA—Something didn't quite look right about the zebra, but it was hard to say exactly what. Of the several ramshackle zoos in Gaza, Marah, located not far from the Bureij refugee camp, is by far the cheeriest: The animals are lively, the enclosures clean, and children gather around the cage of a resting lion.

Then again, the competition is hardly stiff: The zoo in Rafah features dead animals left to rot in their cages; another animal park, situated in a densely populated neighborhood in Bureij, recently shut down amid financial difficulties (and after neighbors complained of the smell). A third, also in Bureij, is so short of funds that a fox is kept in a grocery cart with a board over the top.

Yet Marah, with its broken-down bumper cars and a pit filled with sadly deflated balls, had its own not-quite-right feel—particularly the zebra. Standing near the back of its cage, facing away from the spectators, the animal kept its head tucked down.

"It's really a painted donkey," admitted Mahmud Berghat, the director of Marah, when asked about the creature. Making a fake zebra isn't easy—henna didn't work and wood paint was deemed inhumane, so they finally settled on human hair dye. "We cut its hair short and then painted the stripes," Berghat explained behind the closed door of his office.

It did the trick—if not for zoologists, then at least for legions of Gaza schoolchildren who have never seen a real zebra. When I asked him whether anyone had ever caught the ruse, the director admitted that two sharp university students had IDed the counterfeit creature. "But don't tell anyone," he said. "The children love him."

The idea of a zoo creating a fake zebra sounds preposterous, but this is Gaza, which, after two years of an economic blockadge, is renowned for recycling, repurposing, and smuggling just about anything that can't be imported legally. The zoo, in a way, represents all three of these coping mechanisms: a couple of house cats stand in for wild cats; the lion was drugged and smuggled through a tunnel from Egypt; and the zebra, as Berghat joked, was "locally made."

Zoos in war zones produce an unending cascade of heart-string-tugging stories. Kabul, Afghanistan, had Marjan, the one-eyed lion, who famously survived the Soviet invasion and Taliban rule only to die in his sleep in 2002 . The Baghdad zoo, once the largest in the region, was looted during the 2003 invasion.

Likewise, in Gaza, stories of hardship abound. During Israel's Operation Cast Lead , which started in December 2008 and continued through January 2009, Marah's zookeepers couldn't reach the animals. Some were hit by shrapnel; several, including a prized peacock, escaped; and many more died of starvation. The zoo stories are at times apocryphal. The Marah zoo says its lioness was killed by shrapnel; the same story was told about a lioness at the nearby Middle Zoo. (An odd coincidence, or perhaps life is hard for female lions?) But what differentiates Gaza's zoo is how the animals got there. Prior to the Hamas takeover, many of the animals were brought in legally from Egypt and Israel. But since 2007, the most common route animals take to their cages in Gaza is through the underground labyrinth of tunnels that snake from the southern tip of Gaza into Egypt's Sinai.

Though strictly regulated shipments are allowed in through the Israeli border, the majority of what's sold in Gaza's markets—from cement to Converse sneakers—is smuggled through the tunnels. The zoos, like everything else in Gaza, have become caught up in the bizarre economic situation of living in an international no man's land. When the Marah zoo, or just about any zoo in Gaza, needs a new animal, it places an order with a smuggler. Other than price, size is the only limitation—one tunnel owner in Rafah told me the biggest animal that can fit in the tunnels is a cow.

For most Gazans, the tunnels are an economic lifeline, but they are also a conduit for weapons and drugs. During the recent military operations, the tunnels took a beating—Israel dropped earth-penetrating bombs in an attempt to destroy the underground passageways. But many tunnels survived, and smuggling operations quickly resumed.

"Before the war, you could bring anything through the tunnels," explained Mahmud Berghat's father, Ahmed, the owner of the Marah zoo. "You just had to get it to the border." But now clashes with Egyptian security forces have grown worse, and many tunnels are still damaged and out of operation, so prices have gone up.

The painted zebra is also a product of the tunnel economics: The zoo had requested a quote for a zebra and found it would cost $30,000 to buy the animal and bring it through the tunnels—well beyond its budget—so Berghat enlisted the donkey instead.

But financial difficulties and lack of expertise, as much as war, are at the heart of the zoos' problems. At several zoos, the employees said they had no idea what to feed the animals, and found themselves searching the Web for information abut the diets of exotic snakes and tropical birds. Even when the diet is simple, it may be expensive. "It costs 100 shekels [$25] a day to feed him," said Shadi Nassir, the caretaker for the now-closed Middle Zoo, pointing to the emaciated lion that sat listless in its cage.

"Would you like to buy him?" Nassir offered. "We're selling him for $700."

But the zoos, whatever their shortcomings, provide a rare form of entertainment in a congested strip of land that affords few other diversions. "This is the only public place in the area where people can relax outside and the children can play," said Rami Washah, the director of an animal park in Bureij.

At Marah, which combines a zoo and an amusement park, the admission ticket is three shekels per person—less than a dollar—and the zoo gives discounts to groups of students. Sometimes families come and find they can't afford the admission. "We're embarrassed to say no, so we let them in," Ahmed Berghat says.

But it's not all bad news. The Marah zoo, which features an assortment of animals, from owls to monkeys, was busy that day. And director Berghat had a wish list of animals he wanted to buy: a llama, a gazelle, and a mountain wolf.

"What we really want is an elephant," he said. "But a small one, so it can fit in the tunnels."

==========================================================

"Buddy, I need me a donkey. But thats not what I wanna use him for!"

I can't take credit on this one, I blame Solomon at work. But its soooo good. I really do think that if Milan had a zoo they would have "a fox is kept in a grocery cart with a board over the top." Loads of good things. Not to mention a shaved, hair-dyed, donkey parading as a zebra. OOOOOOOH no play for Mr. Grey!!!! Just for Men---- Donkey Gel!!!!

‘Wolves’ reign supreme in fashion

Staff Article, Quad City Times, July 18, 2009 [available online at QCTimes.net]

We've often waxed poetic about the Oracle of All Knowledge. (Psst, we're talking the Internet here.) There is so much information that it would take several lifetimes to see it all. And, truth be told, there are plenty of things on the Internet that are a giant waste of time.

This is where "The Mountain Men's Three Wolf Moon Short Sleeve Tee" comes into play. You see, it all began as an innocent ad for an innocent item of clothing on Amazon.com. A $17 T-shirt. But, as so often happens, things take on a life of their own.

The first customer review for the product came from "B.Govern" from New Jersey. The rest is Internet history. Here's the review:

"This item has wolves on it which makes it intrinsically sweet and worth 5 stars by itself, but once I tried it on, that's when the magic happened. After checking to ensure that the shirt would properly cover my girth, I walked from my trailer to Wal-mart with the shirt on and was immediately approached by women. The women knew from the wolves on my shirt that I, like a wolf, am a mysterious loner who knows how to 'howl at the moon' from time to time (if you catch my drift!). The women that approached me wanted to know if I would be their boyfriend and/or give them money for something they called meth. I told them no, because they didn't have enough teeth, and frankly a man with a wolf-shirt shouldn't settle for the first thing that comes to him. I arrived at Wal-mart, mounted my courtesy-scooter (walking is such a drag!) sitting side saddle so that my wolves would show. While I was browsing tube socks, I could hear aroused asthmatic breathing behind me. I turned around to see a slightly sweaty dream in sweatpants and flip-flops standing there. She told me she liked the wolves on my shirt, I told her I wanted to howl at her moon. She offered me a swig from her mountain dew, and I drove my scooter, with her shuffling along side out the door and into the rest of our lives. Thank you wolf shirt.

"Pros: Fits my girthy frame, has wolves on it, attracts women

"Cons: Only 3 wolves (could probably use a few more on the 'guns'), cannot see wolves when sitting with arms crossed, wolves would have been better if they glowed in the dark."

This one review prompted 171 comments about the review itself. One simply said this: "This is why we have the Internet."

His one review spawned enough interest in the shirt to generate 1,253 more reviews - an Amazon record. Various sites reported that sales for the shirt "were greater than expected" because of that first review.

Quadrants has created its own "wolves" shirt. To see its power, direct your browser to qctimes.com.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

You just know when your parents hand you a newspaper article, and say, "we immediately thought of you," you wince. See the whole story, as far as my parents and finding this gem, originated at work. Where we get bored. And also where we deal with some of the trashiest people, any of us, have ever met. Walnuts made the subtle observation a few months ago, that trashy people love wearing shirts with animals on them. Wolves. Moose. Skunks. Nascar digits. Unicorns. Deer. Fish. Its all really the same. Its comfort food to their wardrobe I guess. Normal people have that one shirt they like.... or maybe that super stretched out pair of underwear, that you should have thrown out, streaks and all, long ago; that you just like to put on. Anyhow, we make fun of it. We have to. Because its almost a race against society to find the must absurd and undignified animal on a shirt, then wear it to a Menard's just to show people how you really are. Eagles were popular. "Stars and stripes buddy." Anyways. Aside from finding people in tshirts with dates on them, this is the most fun we tend to have on a busy, trashy, weekend. Tshirts with dates? Thats more like bingo. People wear things with dates on them, that should long ago be paint rags. "Worlds Best Grandpa, 1992." Forget that the newborn's hand prints on that shirt, are now casually fondling breasts in COLLEGE!!! Or the "Moonlight Chase 1988" tshirt I cackle at every-time a certain contractor wears it. First off, he could run 4 miles in a day at this rate, second, that tshirt is as old as my brother. I'm happy to say that. "Your tshirt is as old as my brother." Again, I digress... Animals on shirts make the trailer park people go round. So it came up over dinner one night a while back with my parents. We did make the slow realization that we have relatives that do this. Yes. They wear wolf tshirts... or nastard digits on underwear.... or dreamy tie dyed native american shirts with horses running around them, and dream catchers printed on the armpits.... So that kind of became a running gag for awhile around my parents. Then this gem hit. THIS sparkling, refreshing gem. I feel so vindicated. Really, all you need to do, is read the bolded, italicized type. Its worth it. Now I can say, wolf shirts arent just for the trashy anymore!!!! And it came from Davenport.!

How was YOUR weekend?

Davenport police report busy holiday weekend

by Ann McGlynn [QC Times, available Online]

Two stabbings, a robbery, a theft at a car dealership and a large fight at a bar kept Davenport police officers occupied beginning early Saturday and continuing through early today, officials said.

The youngest person arrested in the string of unrelated incidents was 12 years old, records show.

"It was a busy weekend," said Capt. David Struckman of the Davenport Police Department.

The first incident happened at 2:12 a.m. Saturday at 200 W. 16th St., when Shirley A. Smith stabbed her live-in boyfriend, Felipe Reyes, in the neck with a scissors, police said. He was treated and released from Genesis Medical Center, East Rusholme Street, Davenport. She was arrested and charged with domestic assault with a weapon.

Also sometime early Saturday, a break-in occurred at Dixon Auto Sales, 1720 W. 3rd St. Thieves stole several sets of car keys and at least two cars, police said. Arrested and charged with third-degree burglary were George Douglas James, 12; Frederick Bernard James, 13; and Timothy Williams Jr., 15.

The James brothers, police said, have "extensive" juvenile records.

On Sunday night, a mentally challenged man was robbed of more than $200 in the 3300 block of Covington Drive. The suspects threatened the man with physical harm. Two people are charged with second-degree robbery: Nicholas Ryan Troxel, 17, and Keith Wilson Kelley Jr., 17.

Twenty minutes later, at 8:55 p.m., Darrius Ross, 31, was stabbed in the arm during a fight at 1124 Gaines St. During the fight, a resident of the house started having chest pains and a toddler ingested a bottle of pills. All were treated at Genesis. The child was admitted overnight for observation.

And finally, about 1:40 a.m. Monday, five people were arrested after a large fight at Las Bananas, a bar with a history of trouble at 1512 E. Kimberly Road.

Charged were Jose Luis Torres Sr., 40, for failure to disperse; Jose Luis Torres Jr., 22, for disorderly conduct; Deliah Berryman, 24, for disorderly conduct and failure to disperse; Emmanuel J. Berryman, 23, for disorderly conduct and failure to disperse; and Brandon Berryman, 21, for disorderly conduct.

--------------------------------------

Ok. So this isn't a Chicago or Detroit police blotter for the weekend. But for Davenport alone, this is pretty good. You've got a trio of car thieves, none of whom are old enough to be in drivers ed yet... You get some good old fashioned jail house neck shanking action. Top it off with the madhouse from hell, with a stabbing victim, someone else who wanders in with heart attack symptoms, followed by, a toddler needing attention dropping back a bottle of pills. Bring to a boil, then mix in a game of "mug the mentally ill." Lastly, let stand, and garnish with the Family Feud: Las Bananas Bar Fight Edition... where pops and junior v. chick + brother + other brother all go for the battle royale, where the

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurvey SAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

YOURE ALL LOSERs.

What, the state lottery didn't want any of this?????

Rock Island mayoral race a tie, judge says

by Dustin Lemmon [QC Times, available online]

After two months of legal challenges, a recount and debates over which votes should count, Circuit Judge Mark VandeWiele has ruled that the Rock Island mayoral race ended in a tie.

At 8:30 a.m. July 15 the candidates and their attorneys will meet before the judge. Their names will be placed on sheets of paper, placed in identical envelopes, randomly mixed and then Rock Island County Clerk Richard Leibovitz will draw the winner, the judge ordered.

VandeWiele ruled that the final count was a tie with each candidate receiving 3,047 votes. Dennis Pauley, who defeated David Levin in the April 7 election with a count of 3,066 to 3,053, was seated as mayor in early May.

After taking a week to review the evidence from a court ordered recount that was completed last month, VandeWiele ruled that the ballots that weren't initialed by an election judge did not count. The recount also found a ballot that was mistakenly counted three times for Pauley only counted once.

With the numbers adjusted the election came down to two over votes. Voters on both had filled in the circles for both Pauley and Levin.

VandeWiele ruled that one with an "X" through the vote for Pauley was a "clear indication" that the voter intended to choose Levin.

The second ballot, which had a plus-like mark outside the vote for Pauley, did not count, the judge ruled. VandeWiele said a preponderance of the evidence, based on markings elsewhere on the ballot, showed that the voter likely intended to vote for Levin, but the statute calls for a "clearly ascertainable vote" and he could not make that finding.

Judge Mark VandeWiele ruled today that the Rock Island mayoral race ended in a tie and the winner will now be decided by drawing lots at a hearing at 8:30 a.m. July 15.

VandeWiele ruled that the final count was a tie with each candidate receiving 3,047 votes.

David Levin is challenging newly sworn Mayor Dennis Pauley.

-----------------------------------

Democracy, here we come! No its not the newest scratch game offered by Little Lotto. It isn't a tribal vote at the end of Survivor: Rock Island Mayoral Edition. It is, in fact, the way we get to install a new mayor, by the mandate of the masses! It if wasn't Al Gore trying to remake history, it was Al Franken. Unfortunately this character is not named Al. He is instead, by the luck of the draw, [pun intended], a 50/50 shot at becoming elected,errrr judicially installed, errrrr coin flipped into office on July 15th. Hello Quad Cities!!!!! What, match the white balls then a power ball to name a city council seat or two? Why not just have a bingo death match, no postage stamps.

S.

Davenport student gives classmates rat poison

available online: QCOnline.com [link. June 5 2009]

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A student at a Davenport elementary school brought rat poison to school and gave it to seven classmates, but all of the second and third graders are OK, an official said Thursday.

The students at Monroe Elementary School ingested a small amount of pellets before school on Tuesday, said Laura Bozarth, a spokeswoman for the Davenport Community School District.

The student brought the rat poison from home, she said. One student told a school employee, who told administrators.

'They did an all-building announcement and then teachers spoke to the students to try and determine who may have eaten it. If you did, they were sent to the office immediately, where parents were called,' Bozarth said.

The Iowa Statewide Poison Control Center was called.

'Poison control told us that the children would have to ingest an entire box to experience any poisonous effects,' she said.

Typical rat poison thins the blood.

Bozarth said some parents took their children to see doctors.

'None of the children have experienced any kind of concerning symptoms. As of yesterday, five out of the seven students were back in school. I don't know why the other two families didn't send their kids,' she said.

Bozarth said it's unclear why the student brought the rat poison. She declined to give details about the student or comment on the student's status.

Davenport police were called, she said.

A telephone call to police spokesman Capt. Dave Struckman on Thursday was not immediately returned.

Bozarth said the brand of rat poison was Contrac, made by Bell Laboratories. It's small turquoise pellets.

'What it has in it is a chemical that has a long-lasting anticoagulant. Basically, it thins the blood. A mouse or a rat that would eat this, it would thin their blood so much that they could have bleeding problems,' said Tammy Noble, a registered nurse and education coordinator with the Iowa Statewide Poison Center.

Noble said it would take a much larger quantity to affect a child — more than a mouthful.

She said if a human ingests a small amount, the body should tolerate it.

She said if a large amount of rat poison is ingested, the person would be monitored at a hospital to make sure the blood is not too thin.

Symptoms include nosebleeds and bruises, and usually appear after 24 hours.

The treatment is vitamin K, which helps the blood start clotting better, Noble said.


/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

of course this made national news. the LA Times, KC Star, etc etc, all ran various versions on the same AP article. go Davenport!

Iowa City man faces murder charge {wait for it.....}

Iowa City Press Citizen; Available Online [Press-citizen.com]

Article by: Rachel Gallegos: October 19th 2008

An argument that erupted over a game of chess ended in murder early Sunday, police said. Iowa City Police charged David Christian, 29, of 418 Brown St. No. 6, with second-degree murder for the death of his neighbor Michael Alan Steward, 39, of 418 Brown St. No. 4.

According to a news release from Iowa City Police:

Iowa City Police, Iowa City Fire and Johnson County Ambulance Service personnel responded to 418 Brown St. No. 6 for a medical assist at 3:08 a.m. Sunday.
When they arrived, the medical response crew found Steward unresponsive.

Steward was transported to Mercy Hospital in Iowa City and was declared dead shortly after.

During the investigation, officers learned that Steward and Christian were playing chess when they started fighting verbally.

This escalated to a physical fight, which resulted in Steward’s death.

Preliminary results from Steward’s autopsy are expected early this week.

Christian also faces the charge of public intoxication.

Second-degree murder is a class B felony, punishable by up to 50 years in prison.

The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Iowa City Police at 356-5275.

----------------------------------------

because what is more Iowa City than this? get drunk. completely fucking drunk. go home on some rag ass couch on the porch, start playing chess with your neighbor [who for some reason is still awake]; then kill him. love it. Iowa City, how i miss you.

Poop On My Bail Money, Don't Mind If I Do...Do !

Goddammit it happened in Davenport. Here goes! [with mugshot goodness]

Man tries to pay court in dirty pennies, sent to jail

QCTimes.net [QC Times available: June 26 2008]

Article by: Ann McGlynn
A man accused of driving with a defective tire is spending seven days in jail after he attempted to pay a bond in dirty pennies and crumpled-up dollar bills, court records show.

James R. Ward, 60, of Center Junction, Iowa, was sent to Scott County Jail on Thursday by Associate Court Judge Christine Dalton, records show.

Ward was arrested on May 12 for driving a tractor trailer on Interstate Highway 280 with a defective tire. The proposed fine and court costs totaled $68.20.

However, Ward decided he wanted a jury trial. In order to do so, Dalton required he post a $100 bond. She set trial for Monday morning.

Ward brought the $100 bond to the clerk of court Thursday. The money consisted of a box of pennies covered with some sort of unknown substance and several crumpled dollar bills, records show.

Documents do not indicate how much of each he brought. Signs posted in the clerk’s office say they will not accept more than $3 in pennies for payment.

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Rumor going around is; that substance looks like mud, smells worse and comes from your butt. Way to go crack-y. First off, wearing overalls in your mugshot did bring a smile to my face, but it can't crack the best parts of your act. Secondly; what kind of redneck drives a tractor on the highways... gets caught, then honestly thinks its a GOOD idea to ask for a trial? That and; what the hell is a defective tire? Any how. Back out on the farm, this wouldn't be news unless someone shits in a box; so he had to improvise. Congrads Cletus.

Dear Lord.... This Article Title Says It All....


PENIS THEFT PANIC HITS CITY!!!

[available: Reuters News Service - April 23rd, 2008]

By Joe Bavier

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Police in Congo have arrested 13 suspected sorcerers accused of using black magic to steal or shrink men's penises after a wave of panic and attempted lynchings triggered by the alleged witchcraft.

Reports of so-called penis snatching are not uncommon in West Africa, where belief in traditional religions and witchcraft remains widespread, and where ritual killings to obtain blood or body parts still occur.

Rumors of penis theft began circulating last week in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo's sprawling capital of some 8 million inhabitants. They quickly dominated radio call-in shows, with listeners advised to beware of fellow passengers in communal taxis wearing gold rings.

Purported victims, 14 of whom were also detained by police, claimed that sorcerers simply touched them to make their genitals shrink or disappear, in what some residents said was an attempt to extort cash with the promise of a cure.

"You just have to be accused of that, and people come after you. We've had a number of attempted lynchings. ... You see them covered in marks after being beaten," Kinshasa's police chief, Jean-Dieudonne Oleko, told Reuters on Tuesday.

Police arrested the accused sorcerers and their victims in an effort to avoid the sort of bloodshed seen in Ghana a decade ago, when 12 suspected penis snatchers were beaten to death by angry mobs. The 27 men have since been released.

"I'm tempted to say it's one huge joke," Oleko said.

"But when you try to tell the victims that their penises are still there, they tell you that it's become tiny or that they've become impotent. To that I tell them, 'How do you know if you haven't gone home and tried it'," he said.

Some Kinshasa residents accuse a separatist sect from nearby Bas-Congo province of being behind the witchcraft in revenge for a recent government crackdown on its members.

"It's real. Just yesterday here, there was a man who was a victim. We saw. What was left was tiny," said 29-year-old Alain Kalala, who sells phone credits near a

Kinshasa police station.

(Editing by Nick Tattersall and Mary Gabriel)

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Yeah. I've had this happen. When certain people touch me, my penis has disappeared! WTF. It happens to everyone. In much the same way that Jenna Jameson, and Hootie McBoob at the local slut parlor..errrrrrrrrr strip club; must be some kind of penis sorceresses. Because EVERY time they touch me, they can make my penis grow.