I too am one to side with reason. Except that there has not been a reason given. The watch list people need WATCHERS!
Iraq is the poster child for this type nonsense. The watcher and watch list people said there were wmd and danger to usa in Ira Roll Eyes when, while actually it was a personal agenda and vendetta. Who can you trust, and Who do you trust Wink
[quote]
Indeed. What really gets me is that he served in US military for 13yrs! So what if he converted to Islam and his wife is from Pakistan? Not all Muslims are terrorists. As you say, there's no reason given other than National Security.
OldE obviously defers to the "wisdom" of the US Government in such cases even when there's no reason given.
In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move - Douglas Adams
I still got the Olympic fever! Shawn got a worthy reception from her hometown. Hopefully the other Olympians who gave the US honor in the last Olympics were given a grand welcome like this too. GO SHAWN! (And Nastia!)
Olympic gold medal-winner returns home By NIGEL DUARA, Associated Press Writer 15 hours, 39 minutes ago
Buzz Up Print DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)"”The story, as told by Shawn Johnson, goes like this: She was headed to David Letterman's show Monday from Chicago when the airline reported a problem.
Apparently, the pilot had an incident when he heard Johnson was on his plane.
"I guess he just like freaked out and hit his head," Johnson said Tuesday to a crowd of thousands in her first appearance back to her hometown. "They had to take him to the hospital for stitches."
The hysteria continued Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Arena, where the gold-medal winning gymnast was feted with a reception worthy of a rock star.
Johnson, 16, won one gold and three silver medals at the Olympics. Iowa has seen Johnson in several iterations: her ever-present grin at the Beijing Olympics, a bronze sculpture in the Iowa Hall of Fame, and an all-butter representation kept in a cooler at the Iowa State Fair.
The rest of the nation has, too, as Johnson has garnered endorsements with major corporations like Coca-Cola, Adidas, McDonald's and Hy-Vee. She has also appeared in television ads and on Coke cans, ice cream boxes and orange juice containers.
Though Johnson seems acclimated to the spotlight, her father Doug Johnson seemed less so.
Asked about the experience in Beijing, he said "It's been really weird," and compared the Chinese media to the American papar***i.
The crowd stood and cheered for Johnson's parents. It gave a standing ovation to her two coaches and roared at a replay screen showing Johnson's highlights.
And when the 4-foot-9-inch gymnast took the stage it was pandemonium.
Babies were bounced, little girls screamed and young men near the rafters held up signs proposing marriage.
Johnson was asked repeatedly about her prospects for the 2012 London Olympics. Her coach Liang Chow said she will take some time off before considering her next step.
"We would like more Olympics," Chow said.
Johnson is scheduled to begin a 40-city gymnastics tour next week.
Oh and yes, London in 2012!
Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can.
This may sound like a suggested newlywed's list for What To Pack on Your Honeymoon; it is, however, only an excerpt of the paraphernalia Douglas and Annie Brown utilized on their 101 day *** extravaganza detailed in Douglas Brown's Just Do It: How One Couple Turned Off the TV and Turned On Their *** Lives for 101 Days (No Excuses!)
I know what you're thinking"”right, who are these people, hot 18 year olds? Probably with no job, no kids, no hang-ups of any kind. Certainly no responsibilities or, God forbid, any stress. You'd be wrong there. The Browns are in their early forties, both working, and with two young, rambunctious daughters. And their 101 day *** odyssey forged on despite everything from illness to arguments to long, irritating days at work.
After fourteen years together, ***, Brown writes, "had turned into a mere adequacy...Careers and age shifted our end-of-the-day enthusiasms from carnal athletics to pulling sheets to shoulders and whispering ˜good night'...more than three years after the birth of our second daughter, we did it about once a week, if we were lucky."
Sound familiar? So how did these two go from a once-a-week fling to 101 consecutive romps between the sheets? Believe it or not, it was NOT Douglas' idea"”it was Annie's. After hearing about how men in Denmark who have not had *** in a hundred or more days form clubs to bond over their lack of loving (Note to Single Women: book a flight to Denmark immediately), Annie suggested that she and Douglas form their own exclusive "***-club" and have *** for one hundred consecutive days.
After some initial purchasing of massage oils, candles, libido enhancing herbal supplements, books with titles like The Yin Yang Butterfly: Ancient Chinese Sexual Secrets for Western Lovers, redecorating their bedroom as a "*** den" (removing all pictures of kids, family, and relatives; purchasing **** lights and bed accessories; stocking up on candles, incense and CDs like Tantric Music; installing a child-proof lock on the door) and plenty of high-quality lubricant, Douglas and Annie were off. Come Hell, high water, head colds, fussy, night-wandering little preschool aged girls, and just plain fatigue, the two succeeded in getting it on every day (sometimes at night, sometimes in the morning, a few times in the afternoon) for 101 days. They experimented with everything from ****ography (either a disappointment or hilariously ridiculous they decided) to bullet vibrators, to feathers, to unusual positions, to *** instructional videos, to Viagra and Cialis.
Sometimes everything clicked and the *** was great. Other times, getting it on was a mere act of will, a let's-get-this-over-with-and-get-to-sleep-as-fast-as-possible challenge. However, by the end of the 101 days, both Douglas and Annie felt like their marriage had grown in ways they wouldn't have dreamed possible. They touched more. They felt more in sync with one another's feelings. "I feel closer to you than I have in years," Annie told Douglas, "and that's saying something, because it's not like we exactly drifted away from each other." Regular *** went from being "some sort of monumental event" to being a huge part of their lives; it put "muscle" into their already strong relationship.
Daily *** made both feel sexier than they had in years. Since they were now going out of their way to be more alluring to each other, they paid more attention to their health and physical appearance: Annie got a Brazilian wax job and wore lower cut tops; Douglas worked out and even attended yoga classes. Having more *** made them feel closer to each other which increased their communication; and greater communication made the *** even better. Do you see the connection here?
There is a lot of talk nowadays about communication in marriage and how important it is. Of course, that's true, but those advice columns almost always focus exclusively on verbal communication. Talking candidly to your spouse is incredibly important, but what about the physical side of things? True communication between a husband and wife is not just verbal and emotional, it's physical too. Take care of each of these and you'll be well on your way to celebrating a golden wedding anniversary.
Have all the good s.ex you can, in all the ways you can, for as long as ever you can !
-- Sabuntium The Great
Posts: 928 | Location: Originally from: Galaxy of Centaurus A (also known as NGC 5128) | Registered: 06-26-2008
I thought about placing this in the Presidential immigration thread, but it does not quite fit, so this was my second choice.
quote:
Wind, solar energy built on temporary tax breaks
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 28 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Congress is putting the short-term future of renewable energy companies in jeopardy even as the presidential candidates and most lawmakers hail windmills, solar panels and biofuels as long-term solutions to high gasoline prices and global warming. ADVERTISEMENT
Some $500 million in investment and production tax credits will expire Dec. 31 unless Congress renews them. Without that help, solar and wind power companies say they will reverse planned expansions and, in many cases, cut payrolls and capital investment.
Schott Solar has visions of quadrupling its operation in Albuquerque, N.M., to reach 1,500 jobs and $500 million in investment. But the investment tax credit, company spokesman Brian Lynch said, is what makes solar power cost-competitive. Without it, expansion plans must be reconsidered.
"We don't want to build a giant factory that the market doesn't need or want," Lynch said.
The Solar Energy Industries Association says some 20 utility-scale solar power plants, many in California and together capable of producing power for a million homes, are at risk because of the uncertainty in Congress.
Proponents of wind power, a nascent industry that relies on skittish investors, are in a similar predicament. Greg Wetstone of the American Wind Energy Association says his group is predicting a loss of 76,000 jobs and $11.4 billion in investment if Congress allows its production tax credit to expire.
"Investors like to know what tax policies apply when they are putting millions of dollars down on a project. There's a pretty clear history that these projects are less likely to go forward without a credit," he said.
Congress let the credit expire in 2000, 2002 and 2004. In those three years, wind capacity installation dropped 93 percent, 73 percent and 77 percent, respectively, from the previous year.
Navigant Consulting, which advises on renewable energy technology, estimated that investments in wind and solar power in 2009 would amount to $26.6 billion with the credits; that would fall to $7 billion without them.
The credits are expected to total $334 million, according to congressional estimates.
"These companies are shutting down projects, firing people and it's Congress's fault," said Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Investment tax credits, available to homeowners and businesses that invest in solar power equipment, and the production tax credit, based on kilowatt hours of energy produced by wind, geothermal, biomass and other renewables, are only two of dozens of temporary tax breaks that die out after a year or two if Congress does not revive them.
This year Congress is considering tax-extenders worth more than $50 billion over the next decade. The production tax credit would cost $7 billion and two solar investment credits would cost $2.7 billion over 10 years.
In addition to breaks for renewable energy and energy conservation, several dozen other tax breaks are targeted to businesses and individuals. They include people paying state and local sales taxes; parents with higher education tuition costs; and teachers with out-of-pocket expenses.
Almost all the provisions are popular. But Senate Republicans have blocked consideration of tax-extender plans by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont. GOP lawmakers are protesting efforts to offset the costs with other taxes or other items attached to the proposals. In the House, conservative Democrats promise to block any extension that adds to the deficit.
That's nothing new.
In 2006, Congress did not come together on a tax-extender deal until December, forcing the Internal Revenue Service to delay processing returns claiming several of the tax breaks. In 2007 Congress never agreed on extenders and again waited until December, causing more IRS disruption, to settle another annual tax crisis, the alternative minimum tax.
That tax was, enacted 40 years ago, was supposed to keep a tiny number of very rich people from avoiding taxes. But it never was adjusted for inflation and now reaches into the pockets of 4 million people, mainly upper middle-income. Millions more are threatened every year until Congress steps in, usually at the last possible moment. The Baucus bill has provisions to keep those affected by the tax from growing to 25 million, at a cost of $61 billion over the next decade.
"A big part of the problem is uncertainty," said Marie Lee, a tax analyst with the American Electronics Association. "Our companies are getting tired of this game."
The biggest concern for high-tech companies and manufacturers is the research and development credit, which expired at the end of last year. Some 17,700 corporations claimed $6.6 billion in credits in 2005, according to a recent study by Ernst & Young LLP. About 70 percent of that went to pay wages of scientists and engineers.
The credit has been allowed to expire 13 times since it was adopted in 1981. One repercussion, said Monica McGuire, executive secretary of the R&D Credit Coalition, is that more companies are taking their research dollars overseas.
"It's a global race for R&D dollars," she said, and the odds are not good when at least 20 developed nations offer tax incentives and the United States currently has nothing.
Putting expiration dates on tax breaks is a useful budget gimmick for lawmakers seeking to mask the growing federal budget deficit.
Because they are set to expire at a certain date by law, they do not count as revenue losses after that date even though most people assume Congress eventually will act to extend them. The Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 are the biggest extenders of all in this respect. Trillions of dollars will be added to the federal debt if Congress chooses to make them permanent after they are set to expire in 2010.
Tax breaks and investment credits for new, undeveloped industries is an excellent way to build up customer demand with leveraging the risk of these companies. I say expand renewable energy tax breaks for short and long term investment.
"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." John Adams on Defense of the boston Massacre
Originally posted by Brit4064: [QUOTE] I too am one to side with reason. Except that there has not been a reason given. The watch list people need WATCHERS!
Iraq is the poster child for this type nonsense. The watcher and watch list people said there were wmd and danger to usa in Ira Roll Eyes when, while actually it was a personal agenda and vendetta. Who can you trust, and Who do you trust Wink
quote:
Indeed. What really gets me is that he served in US military for 13yrs! So what if he converted to Islam and his wife is from Pakistan? Not all Muslims are terrorists. As you say, there's no reason given other than National Security.
OldE obviously defers to the "wisdom" of the US Government in such cases even when there's no reason given.
The problem wit the government watch list is that very litle verification is done. What probably happened is that his name was stolen, or maybe he used the internet to post something, and someone decided to use "his name" to post some threatening idea. This is what happened to Sen Ted Kennedy and mumerous others.
this also points out that on paper an idea may sound good, but in practicality, it does not.
"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." John Adams on Defense of the boston Massacre
The problem wit the government watch list is that very litle verification is done. What probably happened is that his name was stolen, or maybe he used the internet to post something, and someone decided to use "his name" to post some threatening idea. This is what happened to Sen Ted Kennedy and mumerous others.
It probably explains why I've been stuck in the FBI namecheck for more than 2yrs...and all the other thousands too.
In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move - Douglas Adams
British Hackers Using Stolen American Credit Cards
by Tim Stevens, posted Aug 31st 2008 at 4:12PM
If you've heard the news about the millions of credit cards stolen from supermarket chains over the past year or so, you've probably started to trust your little slabs of plastic a little less than you did before. You're liable to be even more wary now, as word is being spread that British hackers are planning a mass assault on U.S. credit card accounts using numbers snagged from hacked security systems.
The BBC reports that the thieves are planning to take the numbers stolen from American security lapses and attach them to fake credit cards. They'll then hit stores with self-checkout lanes (where they're less likely to be noticed) and "cash out" -- **** all the funds out of the accounts they possibly can. Hopefully, if your card was one of the ones intercepted by the much publicized security leaks, it's already been canceled and you've been issued a new number, and if so, you have nothing to worry about. But, if your card was snagged and neither your bank nor you were made aware, you might want to keep an eye out for a very large U.K. withdrawal on your statements
I am surprised that credit/debit card security is behind the times here in the US to be honest.
I think it is way easier for credit card fraud here, so I guess it wouldn't have taken long for someone to find ways to do it in masses, if they got hold of some cards or numbers.
I am still amazed that you can allow your spouse/girlfriend/child to use your card when out shopping and sign for it. Before having to put in PIN numbers in machine to purchase with cards in UK, no one other than whose name is on the card itself could sign for it, unlike here. I think its time they increased the security on all cards over here so these kind of things won't happen. A stolen card would be useless if they didn't have the PIN or other security measure.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- God Bless America - God Bless Immigrants - God Bless Poor Misguided Souls Too
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 1.800.787.3224 (TTY) Anonymous & Confidential Help 24/7
And don't forget with the Pound being strong and nearly double than the $US, it will sure be a large withdrawal amount!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- God Bless America - God Bless Immigrants - God Bless Poor Misguided Souls Too
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 1.800.787.3224 (TTY) Anonymous & Confidential Help 24/7
(CNN) -- Suspected Al Qaeda militants disguised as security forces launched an explosive assault on the U.S. Embassy in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, Wednesday killing 10 Yemeni police and civilians, officials said.
Smoke billows near the U.S. Embassy compound in Sanaa, Yemen.
The attack involved two car bombs, a spokesman for Yemen's embassy in Washington said. Six attackers, including a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest, were also killed in the attack, Mohammed al-Basha said.
There were at least four explosions -- including at least one car bomb -- and sniper fire, a senior State Department official said.
Yemeni officials said the first car contained people in police uniforms who exchanged fire with Yemeni security forces, the officials said.
The second car exploded after it passed an outermost gate to the Embassy but before it reached a second protective barrier, the officials said.
But al-Basha said there were two cars packed with explosives involved in the attack.
The heavily fortified compound in the capital of Yemen -- the ancestral home of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden -- has previously been targeted in attacks.
A U.S. official told CNN the attackers initially opened fire outside the embassy's security gate, then there was the main explosion followed by a secondary explosion.
At some point, snipers positioned across the street from the embassy opened fire on Yemeni first responders as they arrived on the scene, the official said.
Those killed include six Yemeni policemen and four civilians, he said, noting that the number of wounded is unclear. No U.S. Embassy employees were killed, the official added.
Yemen believes al Qaeda is responsible for the attack, al-Basha said. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the the explosions "bear the hallmarks of an al Qaeda attack."
Media reports said Islamic Jihad in Yemen -- which is affiliated with al Qaeda -- has claimed responsibility for the attack, but CNN could not independently confirm those reports.
Trev Mason, a British national who lives near the embassy, said he saw "a massive fireball" near compound. Eyewitness tells of fireball outside embassy »
"We heard the sounds of a heavy gun battle going on," he told CNN. "I looked out my window, and we saw the first explosion going off -- a massive fireball very close to the U.S. Embassy.
"The gun battle went on for a further 10 to 15 minutes, followed by two further loud explosions."
The first explosion happened about 9:15 a.m. Wednesday (0615 GMT/2.15 am ET) and was followed by several secondary blasts, said U.S. Embassy spokesman Ryan Gliha. Gliha describes the aftermath »
Gliha was at the embassy at the time of the attack and said he felt the compound shake.
"We were all ordered to assume what we call a duck-and-cover position which is a position where we guard ourselves and bodies from potential debris," Gliha told CNN.
"From that vantage point, I can't tell you much after that except we did feel several explosions after the main explosion that shook the ground."
Al-Basha called it a "despicable and heinous act" particularly because it took place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The White House has condemned the bombing and vowed to "to increase our counterterrorism activities to prevent more attacks from taking place."
The U.S. official told CNN that Yemen's cooperation in fighting terrorism "needs to be better."
Witnesses told CNN they heard gunfire, and said they saw ambulances rushing from the scene.
The U.S. State Department has warned of violence that it attributes to Islamic extremists in Yemen. It has cited concern "about possible attacks by extremist individuals or groups against U.S. citizens, facilities, businesses and perceived interests."
The State Department ordered the departure of all non-emergency American staff from the Embassy, along with their family members, in April, after attacks against the Embassy and a residential compound. That order was lifted last month.
In March, three mortar rounds landed near the Embassy, injuring Yemeni students at a nearby school and Yemeni government security personnel, the State Department said.
The next month, an expatriate residential compound in the Hadda neighborhood was attacked by mortar fire. Suspected extremists fired two mortar rounds toward the Yemen Customs Authority and Italian Embassy in April, as well, but no one was hurt.
Authorities in Yemen have been struggling to curb the activities of al Qaeda-linked groups, with militants seen as having free rein outside major cities, says CNN's International Security Correspondent Paula Newton.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: ProudUSC,
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Barak: He still hasn't figured it out. You can't negotiate a political solution with a religiously based terrorist organization.
Here are quotes from Barack Obama at CNBC Democrat Presidential Debate. Followed with my rebuttals.
And what we should be doing is reaching out aggressively to our allies, but also talking to our enemies and focusing on those areas where we do not accept their actions, whether it be terrorism or developing nuclear weapons, but also talking to Iran directly about the potential carrots that we can provide in terms of them being involved in the World Trade Organization, or beginning to look at the possibilities of diplomatic relations being normalized....
The moment you capitulate to lawlessness you've lost your civility.
Posts: 8965 | Location: San Diego, or near by. | Registered: 06-08-2007
Originally posted by 4now: British Hackers Using Stolen American Credit Cards
by Tim Stevens, posted Aug 31st 2008 at 4:12PM
If you've heard the news about the millions of credit cards stolen from supermarket chains over the past year or so, you've probably started to trust your little slabs of plastic a little less than you did before. You're liable to be even more wary now, as word is being spread that British hackers are planning a mass assault on U.S. credit card accounts using numbers snagged from hacked security systems.
The BBC reports that the thieves are planning to take the numbers stolen from American security lapses and attach them to fake credit cards. They'll then hit stores with self-checkout lanes (where they're less likely to be noticed) and "cash out" -- **** all the funds out of the accounts they possibly can. Hopefully, if your card was one of the ones intercepted by the much publicized security leaks, it's already been canceled and you've been issued a new number, and if so, you have nothing to worry about. But, if your card was snagged and neither your bank nor you were made aware, you might want to keep an eye out for a very large U.K. withdrawal on your statements
This may explain the hyper paranoia with some of the banks now. WAMU has gotten very loose with the 'lock account' button lately when anything out of the ordinary happens. Not a surprise considering that about a year ago I myself walked in and got a cahiers check for several thousand and no one bothered to check my ID.
The moment you capitulate to lawlessness you've lost your civility.
Posts: 8965 | Location: San Diego, or near by. | Registered: 06-08-2007
Yemen believes al Qaeda is responsible for the attack, al-Basha said. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the the explosions "bear the hallmarks of an al Qaeda attack."
Sounds like a scene out the new movie TRAITOR.
I recommend anyone that has not seen the movie traitor yet, to quickly go see it.
'Robin Hood' bank manager stole £7m from rich clients and gave it to needy customers
A bank manager behaved like a real-life Robin Hood by taking millions of pounds from rich clients and giving it to needy customers.
Benedict Hancock, a 39-year-old father of two, channelled more than £7million into the accounts of companies in trouble.
Astonishingly, the unassuming Royal Bank of Scotland senior relationship manager did so for 'an entirely altruistic motive', Blackfriars Crown Court has heard.
Robin Hood: Benedict Hancock plundered his rich clients' accounts at the Royal Bank of Scotland
The court was told that Hancock carried out the bizarre fraud because 'he wanted the companies to do well, for their sake rather than his'.
Hancock - who like his mythical counterpart is from Nottinghamshire - enjoyed good relationships with the 40 corporate clients whose money he looked after.
Accordingly, when some of the firms needed extra cash to see them through difficult times, he loaned them money from his better-off customers, setting up numerous false accounts to transfer millions from rich to poor.
In most cases the holders of the plundered accounts did not notice that the money was missing.
If they did, Hancock told them that the money had been invested in ultra-safe Bank of England bonds.
He even ensured that the raided accounts received the full interest they were due, despite the fact that the capital was missing.
Today Hancock's barrister Andrew Lloyd-Eley told the court that Hancock, who had worked for RBS for 18 years and earned £49,000 a year, was of 'good character'.
Mr Lloyd-Eley claimed his client received no personal gain from the fraud, saying: 'The only explanation he gave was that he wanted the companies to do well. He got on well with them and he wanted to make sure that they succeeded for their sake rather than his.
'All of Mr Hancock's customers - and the bank - spoke very highly of him. He was dedicated to his job.'
Hancock's unauthorised loans were discovered in November 2006 when one of his rich clients discovered that his account was £5million short.
An internal investigation discovered that Hancock had lent the missing money - plus another £1.3million - to a failing clothes manufacturer.
Hancock was found guilty of 14 counts of false accounting and one of abuse of position. The charges related to unauthorised loans to three companies.
Two firms have arranged to pay back the money they received, but RBS has written off the £6.3million owed by the clothes manufacturer.
Sentencing Hancock to 18 months in prison, Judge Ian Karsten QC said that although Hancock's motives appeared to be good, he would have benefited indirectly through his annual bonus.
He said: 'I accept that you made no direct financial gain but I am satisfied that there was an element of indirect personal gain.
'The motivation was to ensure that you remained in good stead with your superiors so that you received your annual bonus.'
The court heard that the first Hancock's wife Paula knew of his activities was when he was arrested.
The couple, who have two sons aged ten and six, have since split up. Prior to being imprisoned today, Hancock was working for a debt-collecting company
Groups rescue everything from horses and bulls to baby squirrels
Cowboys on the Bolivar Peninsula, which was ravaged by Hurricane Ike, round up some of the thousands of head of cattle that are roaming loose in southeast Texas in the wake of the storm.
Self-described "old cowboy" Jerry Finch says his daddy used to joke that he was conceived in the saddle, so it's not surprising that the silver-haired Texan is now at the forefront of efforts to save horses and cattle from the deadly mess left by Hurricane Ike.
"We keep getting reports of 20 horses here, 15 over there," Finch told msnbc.com via satellite telephone from Galveston, where Ike roared ashore as a Category 2 storm Saturday, killing at least 17 people across the state and causing billions in damage.
As the founder and president of Habitat for Horses in nearby Hitchcock, rescuing horses from neglect and abuse and placing them out for adoption is Finch's everyday passion. Now, he has been pulled in to post-Ike efforts at the request of the Galveston County Sheriff's Department to round up and care for horses caught in the storm, and provide feed for stranded cattle.
Finch's group is just one of many throughout the area that are focusing on creatures great and small in the aftermath of the storm.
Teams from the Texas Animal Health Commission, state Department of Agriculture and USDA are overseeing the livestock rescue effort. That is a Texas-sized problem in a state that is home to more than a million of the 9 million-plus horses and 14 million of the estimated 95 million head of cattle in the United States.
Although Ike struck well east of the state's major cattle-raising region, the Texas Farm Bureau said that as of late Tuesday thousands of cattle had drowned and 15,000 were "uncontained" and in danger. There was no estimate on the number of dead and loose horses.
The Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is spearheading efforts to rescue cats, dogs and other pets in coordination with the Galveston Island Humane Society, Brazoria County SPCA and the Bay Area SPCA of San Leon, said spokeswoman Stacy Fox.
Habitat for Horses, which also saved animals after Katrina in 2005, has put rescue efforts ahead of salvage and repair operations at its own 27-acre facility, which was "completely decimated," according to spokeswoman Valerie Kennedy. "All the shelters for the horses there on the site have been flattened," including a new barn that was funded through years of careful saving by the nonprofit, donor-funded organization. "It's bad. All their hay and stuff was completely ruined." Thankfully, she said, none of the 60 horses at the ranch and awaiting adoption was injured when Ike hit.
Other horses in the area were not so lucky, said Finch, describing efforts to round up animals that have been without food and fresh water for days, wounded by wind-blown debris and trapped in the storm's wreckage. Some did not make it. "We found one in a garage that he had obviously tried to get in for shelter and the water rose and he was unable to get out."
Happily, others "just magically ... swim until they find someplace to stand," even if it takes them hours. "We got one bull down there still standing on a porch. We can't get him down yet. It's always amazing to me the survivability of these animals."
20 horses saved so far So far, Finch said, his group has brought about 20 horses to safety. He expects that number will top 100, but that's just an estimate. He thinks up to 500 horses were on Galveston Island before the storm but does not know how many were evacuated in advance by their owners.
Evacuation was a key message from the Houston SPCA as Ike approached, spokeswoman Fox said. More than 400 animals in shelters around the Galveston area were taken north to Houston before the storm hit.
Still, after the winds died down and the waters receded, "Seventy-seven dogs, cats, parakeets and other animals" were rescued from a devastated facility in Texas City, she said.
With the animal shelters and veterinarians' offices throughout the area destroyed or badly damaged, the SPCA was able to set up a temporary shelter and veterinary clinic at a former police substation, Fox said. Fifty volunteer animal rescuers from around the country and 100 staffers are now helping locate stranded and injured pets and farm animals, she said. By Tuesday afternoon, more than 130 had been brought to safety.
The tiniest victims On top of that, more than 550 baby squirrels, knocked from their nests by Ike's winds, had been brought in. "Kind hearted people picked them up, put them in boxes with soft rags like we told them to and lined up to drop them off," Fox said. "We have an incredible team of volunteers who are feeding these babies around the clock." When healthy and weaned, they will be placed back into the wild.
A volunteer uses a syringe to feed a tiny squirrel, swaddled in a towel.
Looking at their needs in the days and weeks ahead, both Habitat for Horses and the Houston SPCA said cash is at the top of the list. The groups do not need additional volunteers at this time. The SPCA has plenty of donated food and fresh water on the way. Habitat could use more hay, Finch said, but "we don't need to be flooded over" so would-be donors should check first.
Cash contributions for fuel, rebuilding and other needs may be made at the Web sites of Habitat for Horses or the Houston SPCA. "Every dime will go to the animals," Fox vowed.
To curmudgeons who invariably seem to question animal rescue efforts after storms that have exacted such heavy tolls on human life and infrastructure, Finch said, "There are a lot of people taking care of human needs, electrical, water and sewer. We're there specifically to take care of the horses. We each have our own little world we try to take care of. Ours is the horses."
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Happy 113th birthday for world's oldest man Thu Sep 18, 1:09 AM ET
The world's oldest man celebrated his 113th birthday on Thursday, telling reporters at his home in southern Japan about his joyful life and healthy appetite.
"I'm happy," said Tomoji Tanabe as the local mayor presented him with flowers and a giant tea cup glazed with his name and date of birth. "I'm well. I eat a lot," he added.
Tanabe, recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest living male last year, eats mostly vegetables and believes the key to longevity is not drinking alcohol.
The former civil servant lives with his son, drinks milk every day and has no major illnesses, although he now writes in his diary only once or twice a month. He used to write on a daily basis.
"His favorite food is fried shrimp, but we've heard that he's cut back on oily food," said an official at his hometown of Miyakonojo, about 900 km (560 miles) southwest of Tokyo.
"He's said he wants to live for another 10 years, that he doesn't want to die." The Japanese are among the world's longest-lived people, with the number of those aged 100 or older at a record 36,276, a government report last week showed.
Japanese women have topped the world's longevity ranks for 23 years, while men rank third after Iceland and Hong Kong.
(Reporting by Chisa Fujioka; editing by Sophie Hardach)
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Shawn got a worthy reception from her hometown. Hopefully the other Olympians who gave the US honor in the last Olympics were given a grand welcome like this too. GO SHAWN! (And Nastia!) 
Cowboys on the Bolivar Peninsula, which was ravaged by Hurricane Ike, round up some of the thousands of head of cattle that are roaming loose in southeast Texas in the wake of the storm. 
