Random News Thread

[mary]

Citing lack of financing, Hicks delays Arlington's Glorypark


By ANDREA AHLES
Star-Telegram Staff Writer


The $510 million Glorypark project in Arlington is being delayed indefinitely by developer Tom Hicks after failing to line up financing and anchor tenants.

Hicks Holdings announced Wednesday that the project's plans for a movie multiplex, restaurants, retail stores, apartments and one hotel would be put off because of "extreme conditions in the country's financial and retail markets."

"In the end, the dream can't become a reality without the right financial package," said Hicks, who said he has spent $50 million of his own money on the project.

Steiner + Associates, which Hicks had brought in to plan and lease out the town center, was unable to sign a firm lease with an anchor department store. It is unclear whether the Columbus, Ohio-based developer will continue to be part of the project going forward.

Hicks, owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team and the Dallas Stars hockey team, said he is still committed to Glorypark. He compared it to Victory Park, the successful development near the American Airlines Center that he has been involved with and which was delayed for two years by an economic slowdown.

"This is the toughest financing market that I've seen in the last 20 years," Hicks said Wednesday evening before the Stars played Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. "So we're going to have to pause and look at reprogramming it."


What it means
Although plans to build a 140-room Aloft hotel will also be put on hold, the 310-room Westin hotel and condominium development is still on schedule to open before the 2011 Super Bowl, Hicks said.

That did not offer much comfort to Arlington leaders, who have promised residents a development near the ballpark for more than 20 years.

"I have been worried ever since the credit crunch hit," Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said. "I'm disappointed, but I'm very optimistic that we will eventually get a fine project out there."

Ian Pierce, who conducts research at The Weitzman Group, a Dallas-based real estate brokerage, said it's not surprising that Glorypark was unable to gain financial backing.

"They've been talking about the project for a while, but they haven't been able to announce tenants," Pierce said. "I don't think anybody thought they were moving full speed ahead."

For years, lenders have insisted on strong commitments from anchor stores before sinking money into such developments, he said.

"Retail real estate, in particular, has been for the most part demand-driven," Pierce said. "The funding is there when the tenants are in place."

The decision to halt work on Glorypark was partly due to the stricter lending standards by banks, which are requiring large commercial projects to have a higher level of pre-leasing, Hicks said.


What was planned
When Hicks first purchased the Texas Rangers in 1998, he put together plans for a development near the ballpark, but the economic slowdown that began soon after put those plans on hold. Hicks further delayed work on the project in 2004 when the Dallas Cowboys chose to locate their new football stadium close to the ballpark.

That was the year that Hicks brought in Steiner + Associates to work on the town center. Design plans for the project, which was renamed Glorypark in May 2006, included retail space as part of an outdoor, glass-roofed mall. Hicks has said it could take 15 to 20 years to build out millions of square feet for the retail, entertainment and residential project.

So far, Hicks said he has spent $50 million on an extension of Road to Six Flags, changes to the Dr Pepper Youth Ballpark, the purchase of a mobile-home park adjacent to the proposed development, and site and design planning for Glorypark.


City involvement
As part of an economic-development agreement with Hicks and Steiner, the city of Arlington had agreed to issue $135 million in bonds for roads, water and sewer infrastructure, including $86.8 million to build four five-level parking garages.

Cluck said the city has not yet issued any bonds on the project. The city's lender, Bank of America, had set a deadline of today for locking in the interest rate on the bond package. He said a new agreement will have to be hammered out between Hicks and the city if and when the revised plans are finished.

"We'll not invest any money in parking garages or anything else until the project is started," Cluck said.


What's next
Hicks and his development team will take the summer to reassess the future of Glorypark and could have new plans in place by the fall, Cluck said.

The Rangers owner said he sees the new Glorypark focusing more on entertainment and less on retail.
"I think it's a place where people will want to go have fun instead of shopping, at least that's what the markets are telling us," Hicks said.

Staff writer Maria M. Perotin contributed to this report.

HIGH HOPES FOR GLORYPARK


The $510 million first phase of the mixed-use Glorypark town-center development in Arlington was set to include:

A total of 1.4 million square feet of space
825,000 square feet of retail space
200,000 square feet of office space
300 residential units
An iPic Entertainment center that would have had movie theaters, bowling lanes, a restaurant, a bar and a live-entertainment theater


GLORYPARK TIMELINE
1991 -- Arlington voters approve a half-cent sales tax to build a baseball stadium; supporters say the stadium will spur development on nearby property.
1998 -- Tom Hicks purchases the Texas Rangers and puts together plans for nearby development.
May 2006 -- The project is unveiled as Glorypark, a town center expected to open in fall 2008.
May 2007 -- Arlington City Council approves $135 million in bonds to pay for parking garages and road improvements for the project; the agreement creates a tax-increment finance zone that will repay the bonds.
January 2008 -- Glorypark announces its first tenant, iPic Entertainment, a combination movie theater, bowling alley, restaurant, bar and live-act venue.
May 2008 -- Glorypark is put on indefinite hold.
ANDREA AHLES, 817-548-5523
aahles@star-telegram.com

[mary]

"In the end, the dream can't become a reality without the right financial package," said Hicks, who said he has spent $50 million of his own money on the project.

I can't believe Hicks had spend 50 millions dollars of his OWN money on his OWN investment.

What has the world come to!

[ty]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25211398/

[QUOTE]Chase turns sour for lemonade stand robber
Police arrest suspect after girl chased him into a nearby home

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Call it a lemonade standoff.

A young girl whose lemonade stand was robbed of $17.50 chased the suspect into a nearby home and called police, who spent nearly an hour trying to coax the man into surrendering.

“The guy came up and was, like, ‘Give me your money,’” said Dominique Morefield, who was running the lemonade stand with a group of friends. “I was shocked. It was just my immediate reaction to chase after him.”

Dominique dashed after the man who ran into a house, and then she called police. Officers eventually persuaded Steve Tryon, 18, to come outside after 45 minutes and arrested him on a preliminary felony charge of robbery.

Tryon was jailed and was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday. The Vigo County prosecutor’s office did not immediately know if he had an attorney.

“I didn't think anyone would come up to a lemonade stand and steal, that's really low,” 12-year-old Fred Erstine said.

The kids said they would continue to sell lemonade, but with an adult’s supervision.[/QUOTE]

[sike]

News Flash: I just made #2.

[bernardos70]

This find courtesy of our resident mavsgirl4134.....
http://www.time.com/time/world/artic...0.html?cnn=yes

Japan's Booming Sex Niche: Elder Porn

Besides his glowing complexion, Shigeo Tokuda looks like any other 74-year-old man in Japan. Despite suffering a heart attack three years ago, the lifelong salaryman now feels healthier, and lives happily with his wife and a daughter in downtown Tokyo. He is, of course, more physically active than most retirees, but that's because he's kept his part-time job — as a porn star.

Shigeo Tokuda is, in fact, his screen name — he prefers not to disclose his real name because, he insists, his wife and daughter have no idea that he has appeared in about 350 films over the past 14 years. And in his double life, Tokuda arguably embodies the contemporary state of Japan's sexuality: In surveys conducted by organizations ranging from the World Health Organization (WHO) to the condom-maker Durex, Japan is repeatedly found to be one of the most sexless societies in the industrialized world. A WHO report released in March found that one in four married couples in Japan had not made love in the previous year, while 38% of couples in their 50s no longer have sex at all. These figures were attributed to the stresses of Japanese working life. Yet, at the same time, the country has seen a surge in demand for pornography that has turned adult videos into a billion-dollar industry, with "elder porn" one of its fastest-growing genres.

Tokuda is rare among Japanese porn stars in that his name has become a brand. The Shigeo Tokuda series he's just completed portray him as a tactful elderly gentleman who instructs women of different ages in the erotic arts, and he boasts a body of work far more impressive than most actors in their prime.

Tokuda's exploits have proved to be a goldmine for Glory Quest, which first launched an "old-man" series, Maniac Training of Lolitas, in December 2004. Its popularity led the company to follow up with Tokuda starring in Forbidden Elderly Care in August 2006. Other series followed, and soon elder porn had revealed itself as a sustainable new revenue stream for the industry. "The adult video industry is very competitive," says Glory Quest p.r. representative Kayoko Iimura. "If we only make standard fare, we cannot beat other studios. There were already adult videos with Lolitas or themes of incest, so we wanted to make something new. A relationship between wife and an old father-in-law has enough twist to create an atmosphere of mystery and captivate viewers' hearts."

Director Gaichi Kono says the eroticism of their elders is captivating to younger viewers. "I think that as a subject, there is this something that only an older generation has and the young people do not possess. It is because they lived that much more. We should respect them and learn from them," says Kono passionately.

But Tokuda stresses the appeal of his work to an audience of his peers: "Elderly people don't identify with school dramas," he says. "It's easier for them to relate to older men and daughters-in-law series, so they tend to watch adult videos with older people in them." The veteran porn star plans to keep working until he's 80, or older, as long as the industry will cast him — and given the bullish market for his work, he's unlikely to go without work.

"People of my age generally have shame so they are very hesitant to show their private parts," Tokuda says, "but I am proud of myself doing something they cannot." Still, he laughs, "That doesn't mean that I can tell them about my old-age pensioner job."

Japan's adult video industry is believed to be worth as much as $1 billion a year according to industry insiders, with the largest rental video store chain Tsutaya releasing about 1,000 new titles monthly, while the mega adult mail-order site DMM releases about 2,000 titles each month. Although films featuring women in their teens and 20s are the mainstay of the industry, a trend toward "mature women" has become evident over the past five years. Currently, about 300 of the 1,000 adult videos on offer at Tsutaya, and 400 out of the 2,000 at DMM, are "mature women" films.

Ryuichi Kadowaki, director of Ruby Inc. which specializes in "mature women" titles, says that when the company started the genre a few years ago, the term referred to actresses in their late 20s, and last year it was expanded to ladies in their 70s. And the company sees the advantage of the "mature" titles is their enduring appeal: "Adult videos with young actresses sell well only in the first three months after the release," Kadowaki explains. "On the other hand, 'mature women' films enjoy a steady, long-term popularity, which after 10 years or so might lead to a best-seller." And then there are the cost savings — a popular young actress can earn up to $100,000 per film, while a mature actress is paid only $2,000. The market for "elder porn" has doubled over the past decade, according to Kadowaki. "In the view of the aging society," he adds, "I think that in the future we will see a steady increase in demand."

[DirkFTW]

Lil' Gabe is 3 and a half now and so it's very important that we always have a ready supply of fruit snacks. If we're out shopping or at the bank or whatever, fruit snacks have the ability to soothe the savage three year old. We like to let Gabe pick out his own fruit snacks and he usually will choose Spider-Man or maybe SpongeBob. However I came home recently and found these in the pantry.




I would love to know what sick [illegitimate person] at Kellogs came up with this genius idea. I just spent the first three years of my sons life trying to get him not to eat blocks, and now you're telling him they taste like [f]ing strawberries. Thanks a lot [donkey]holes. Seriously, how in the [eternal damnation] did this ever get past their legal department. You can't tell me that this isn't a lawsuit just waiting to happen. I can only assume that their next product is fruit flavored thumbtacks.

Uncensored Link
Barely news, but interesting and random.

[mary]

Teen killed by roller coaster at Six Flags park

Sun Jun 29, 2008 8:38pm BST


NEW YORK, June 29 (Reuters) - A 17-year-old boy was killed by a roller coaster at a Six Flags Inc (SIX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) amusement park in Georgia on Saturday after entering a restricted area, park officials said.


The teen, visiting from Springfield, South Carolina, with his church group, was struck and killed instantly by the Batman roller coaster after scaling 6-foot fences marked by danger signs with another boy, Six Flags spokeswoman Hela Sheth said in a statement.


"The areas where the individuals entered were clearly marked with signs that stated 'Restricted area/Authorized personnel only' and a sign on a locked gate that read 'Danger zone. Do not enter,'" Sheth said in the statement.


The teen's family was at the park, and Six Flags has been working with local police officials to investigate the death.


The theme park remained open on Sunday while the ride was closed. The company anticipates reopening the ride on Monday, Sheth said.


A report in the Atlanta Journal Constitution quoted police as saying the boy was decapitated.
It was the second death related to the Batman ride at the theme park after a 58-year-old park worker was killed in 2002 when he was kicked by a passenger while working in a restricted area, the newspaper said. (Reporting by Emily Chasan; Editing by Eric Walsh)

http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssCo...33957820080629

[Flacolaco]

I'm sorry for the family and everything, but if they try to sue Six Flags I'm going to flip my lid.

Multiple six foot fences, all with clearly marked signs. Six Flags should have zero liability whatsoever.

It's interesting that the ride goes that low to the ground in places. I went on the Batman ride in Los Angeles and I don't recall how close to the ground it got.

[mary]

I have to agree.

I wonder if anyone on the ride itself knew what was happening at the time.

That would probably be my last ride on 'ol Batman.

[DirkFTW]

Ravens, Flacco agree on contract

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) -- The Baltimore Ravens have agreed in principle to a five-year deal with first-round draft pick Joe Flacco on a contract with a maximum value of $30 million that includes $8.75 million in guaranteed money for the quarterback.

Flacco's agent, Joe Linta, confirmed the Wednesday night deal.

Drafted 18th overall out of Delaware, Flacco is slated to compete for the starting job with Troy Smith and Kyle Boller. Rookies, quarterbacks and injured veterans are scheduled to training camp Monday at McDaniel College in Westminster.

Congrats, you lovable grumpmeister!

[u2sarajevo]

At least now we know the real name of sike (Flaco's agent).

So the gig is up Joes (both of you... sike and Flaco)

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by u2sarajevo

At least now we know the real name of sike (Flaco's agent).

I think you've confused "agent" and "lover" again!






(that joke never gets old...)

[DirkFTW]

Originally Posted by Underdog

I think you've confused "agent" and "lover" again!






(I hate being your agent...)

Yea, that's not a good position to be in.



(Which thread is this again? )

[Murphy3]

Am I the only one that has wondered why Mary's banana is angry? What exactly did you do to that banana?...or with?

[Flacolaco]

"Kid Rock Sentenced To Year Of Probation For Waffle House Brawl"

Does that guy have it all together or what?

"Waffle House Brawl" ....lol

[u2sarajevo]

^Yeah.... but none of that is really shocking. The person and location seem to go together.

[mary]

Surgeons Reattach 6-Year-Old Girl�s Hand After Accident With Jump Rope

Monday , September 22, 2008



Surgeons were able to reattach the hand of a six-year-old girl from South Bay, Calif., after a freak accident involving a jump rope cut it off, nbc11.com reported Monday.

Erica Rix was riding in the back of her mother’s SUV and dangling her jump rope out of the window with the rope's slip knot around her wrist. The other end of the rope became tangled in the car’s axle, and as the rope tightened around Erica’s left hand, it eventually sliced the hand off.

"She was screaming and screaming, so I got out of the car and out the window that was cracked, (was) the remaining part of her hand," Erica’s mother, Allison Rix told the TV station. "I screamed and said, 'Where's her hand?'"

A nearby woman found the hand with the rope still attached.

A driver stopped and used his belt to create a tourniquet around the young girl’s arm before she was rushed to the hospital. Four surgeons spent 10 hours reattaching the hand.

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_frien...426001,00.html

[ty]

^ So that's why mom always told me to keep my hands in the damn car.

[ty]

PETA Urges Ben & Jerry's To Use Human Milk

WATERBURY, Vt. -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, cofounders of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., urging them to replace cow's milk they use in their ice cream products with human breast milk, according to a statement recently released by a PETA spokeswoman."PETA's request comes in the wake of news reports that a Swiss restaurant owner will begin purchasing breast milk from nursing mothers and substituting breast milk for 75 percent of the cow's milk in the food he serves," the statement says.PETA officials say a move to human breast milk would lessen the suffering of dairy cows and their babies on factory farms and benefit human health.

"The fact that human adults consume huge quantities of dairy products made from milk that was meant for a baby cow just doesn't make sense," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Everyone knows that 'the breast is best,' so Ben & Jerry's could do consumers and cows a big favor by making the switch to breast milk.""We applaud PETA's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her child," said a spokesperson for Ben and Jerry's.

Read PETA's letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield

September 23, 2008Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, CofoundersBen & Jerry's Homemade Inc.Dear Mr. Cohen and Mr. Greenfield,On behalf of PETA and our more than 2 million members and supporters, I'd like to bring your attention to an innovative new idea from Switzerland that would bring a unique twist to Ben and Jerry's.Storchen restaurant is set to unveil a menu that includes soups, stews, and sauces made with at least 75 percent breast milk procured from human donors who are paid in exchange for their milk. If Ben and Jerry's replaced the cow's milk in its ice cream with breast milk, your customers-and cows-would reap the benefits.Using cow's milk for your ice cream is a hazard to your customer's health. Dairy products have been linked to juvenile diabetes, allergies, constipation, obesity, and prostate and ovarian cancer. The late Dr. Benjamin Spock, America's leading authority on child care, spoke out against feeding cow's milk to children, saying it may play a role in anemia, allergies, and juvenile diabetes and in the long term, will set kids up for obesity and heart disease-America's number one cause of death.Animals will also benefit from the switch to breast milk. Like all mammals, cows only produce milk during and after pregnancy, so to be able to constantly milk them, cows are forcefully impregnated every nine months. After several years of living in filthy conditions and being forced to produce 10 times more milk than they would naturally, their exhausted bodies are turned into hamburgers or ground up for soup.And of course, the veal industry could not survive without the dairy industry. Because male calves can't produce milk, dairy farmers take them from their mothers immediately after birth and sell them to veal farms, where they endure 14 to17 weeks of torment chained inside a crate so small that they can't even turn around.The breast is best! Won't you give cows and their babies a break and our health a boost by switching from cow's milk to breast milk in Ben and Jerry's ice cream? Thank you for your consideration.Sincerely,Tracy ReimanExecutive Vice President

???

[DirkFTW]

I'm going to eat a steak tonight to reward myself for reading all of that.

[Murphy3]

An old college "associate" was arrested for the uptown burglaries in Dallas not too long ago. Apparently, he and a friend of his have been arrested.. his friend was charged. But after 6 weeks, my old "associate" hasn't been charged.. kinda looking like they don't have anything on him unless something came out in the past day or so.

[ty]

^ What will be for desert? ;P

[mary]

Father drops off 9 kids under Neb. safe haven law

By TIMBERLY ROSS – 2 hours ago
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nine children were left at a hospital by their father late Wednesday under the state's new safe haven law, a move officials say illustrates the problems many feared when the rule went into effect.

The father, who was not identified, left the children aged 1 to 17 at Creighton University Medical Center's emergency room.

The law, which went into effect in July, allows caregivers to abandon children at any state-licensed hospital without fear of prosecution. It was initially intended to protect infants — like similar laws in other states — but was amended to include children and teenagers.

At least four children between the ages of 11 and 15 have been abandoned by parents since the law took effect.

The nine youngsters surrendered Wednesday are OK, said Kathie Osterman, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. She didn't know how many were boys or girls, or why their father left them.

More information will be available at a late morning news conference, Osterman said.
Nebraska was the last state in the nation to adopt a safe-haven law. Under previous law, a parent who abandoned a baby could have been charged with child neglect or abandonment, both misdemeanors, or child abuse, a felony.

State Sen. Arnie Stuthman said he introduced the bill intending to protect infants. In a compromise with senators worried about arbitrary age limits, the measure was expanded to include the word "child."
The law doesn't further define child, and some have interpreted that to mean anyone in Nebraska under the age of 19. Others have taken the common law meaning of child — those under age 14.
Abandoning teenagers was not the original intent of the law, Stuthman said Thursday.

"People are leaving them off just because they can't control them," he said. "They're probably in no real danger, so it's an easy way out for the caretaker."

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h...zzToAD93DPJO84

[ty]

What a stupid state.

[Flacolaco]

No thanks...bunch of stupid wacko hippies.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i...qBgagD93DU7T00

PETA asks Ben & Jerry's to use breast milk

18 hours ago

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Ice cream made from breast milk? That's what the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream to consider making.

The Virginia-based nonprofit group sent a letter to company co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield on Tuesday asking them to use human breast milk instead of cow's milk in their products.

PETA said the health of consumers and cows would benefit from the switch.

Ben & Jerry's spokesman Rob Michalak said the company applauds PETA's creative approach to bring attention to an issue, but believes that a mother's milk is best used by a child.

[jthig32]

One demerit to Flac.

[Flacolaco]

So...you want to eat the breast milk ice cream?

[GermanDunk]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

No thanks...bunch of stupid wacko hippies.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i...qBgagD93DU7T00

The advertisement is going to be interesting.

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

So...you want to eat the breast milk ice cream?

See post #59 for an explanation on why you have a demerit.

[Flacolaco]

dammit flaco

[jthig32]

There it is. The lightbulb has turned on.

[DirkFTW]

Man sues doctors after manhood amputated

Summary: Went in for a circumcision. General anesthesia. Doctors said they found cancer so they amputated on the spot. Yiiiikes!

[mary]

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

OCTOBER 2, 2008
Mackerel Economics in Prison
Leads to Appreciation for Oily Fillets

Packs of Fish Catch On as Currency, Former Inmates Say; Officials Carp

By JUSTIN SCHECK



When Larry Levine helped prepare divorce papers for a client a few years ago, he got paid in mackerel. Once the case ended, he says, "I had a stack of macks."

Mr. Levine and his client were prisoners in California's Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex. Like other federal inmates around the country, they found a can of mackerel -- the "mack" in prison lingo -- was the standard currency.

"It's the coin of the realm," says Mark Bailey, who paid Mr. Levine in fish. Mr. Bailey was serving a two-year tax-fraud sentence in connection with a chain of strip clubs he owned. Mr. Levine was serving a nine-year term for drug dealing. Mr. Levine says he used his macks to get his beard trimmed, his clothes pressed and his shoes shined by other prisoners. "A haircut is two macks," he says, as an expected tip for inmates who work in the prison barber shop.
Larry Levine



There's been a mackerel economy in federal prisons since about 2004, former inmates and some prison consultants say. That's when federal prisons prohibited smoking and, by default, the cigarette pack, which was the earlier gold standard.

Prisoners need a proxy for the dollar because they're not allowed to possess cash. Money they get from prison jobs (which pay a maximum of 40 cents an hour, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons) or family members goes into commissary accounts that let them buy things such as food and toiletries. After the smokes disappeared, inmates turned to other items on the commissary menu to use as currency.
Books of stamps were one easy alternative. "It was like half a book for a piece of fruit," says Tony Serra, a well-known San Francisco criminal-defense attorney who last year finished nine months in Lompoc on tax charges. Elsewhere in the West, prisoners use PowerBars or cans of tuna, says Ed Bales, a consultant who advises people who are headed to prison. But in much of the federal prison system, he says, mackerel has become the currency of choice.

Mackerel supplier Global Source Marketing Inc. says demand from prisons has grown since 2004. In recent years, demand has switched from cans -- which wardens don't like because inmates can turn them into makeshift knives -- to plastic-and-foil pouches of mackerel fillets, says Jon Linder, a vice president at supplier Power Commissary Inc., in Bohemia, N.Y.

Mackerel is hot in prisons in the U.S., but not so much anywhere else, says Mark Muntz, president of Global Source, which imports fillets of the oily, dark-fleshed fish from Asian canneries. Mr. Muntz says he's tried marketing mackerel to discount retailers. "We've even tried 99-cent stores," he says. "It never has done very well at all, regardless of the retailer, but it's very popular in the prisons."

Outstripping the Tuna

Mr. Muntz says he sold more than $1 million of mackerel for federal prison commissaries last year. It accounted for about half his commissary sales, he says, outstripping the canned tuna, crab, chicken and oysters he offers.
Unlike those more expensive delicacies, former prisoners say, the mack is a good stand-in for the greenback because each can (or pouch) costs about $1 and few -- other than weight-lifters craving protein -- want to eat it.
So inmates stash macks in lockers provided by the prison and use them to buy goods, including illicit ones such as stolen food and home-brewed "prison hooch," as well as services, such as shoeshines and cell cleaning.

Associated PressFreshly fished mackerels.



The Bureau of Prisons views any bartering among prisoners as fishy. "We are aware that inmates attempt to trade amongst themselves items that are purchased from the commissary," says bureau spokeswoman Felicia Ponce in an email. She says guards respond by limiting the amount of goods prisoners can stockpile. Those who are caught bartering can end up in the "Special Housing Unit" -- an isolation area also known as the "hole" -- and could lose credit they get for good behavior.

For that reason -- and since communications between inmates and nonprisoners are monitored by prison officials -- current inmates can't discuss mackerel transactions without risking discipline, say several lawyers and consultants who represent incarcerated clients.

Ethan Roberts knows about mackerel discipline first hand. Mr. Roberts, who was released in 2007 after serving eight years on a methamphetamine charge at prisons including the La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution in Texas, says he got busted for various piscine transactions. "I paid gambling debts" with mackerel, he says. "One time I bought cigarettes for a friend who was in the hole."

Mr. Roberts and other ex-inmates say some prisoners make specially prepared food with items from the prison kitchen and sell it for mackerel.

"I knew a guy who would buy ingredients and use the microwaves to cook meals. Then people used mack to buy it from him," says Jonson Miller, an adjunct history professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia who spent two months in federal prison after being arrested at a protest on federal property.

Mr. Miller was released in 2003, when prisoners were getting ready for cigarettes to be phased out, and says inmates then were already moving to mackerel.

Since the Pensacola Federal Prison Camp commissary in Florida was only open one day a week, some inmates would run a "prison 7-Eleven" out of their lockers, reselling commissary items at a premium in exchange for mackerel, says Bill Bailey, who served three months last year on a computer-hacking charge. "I knew one guy who would actually pay rent to use half of another guy's locker because his locker wasn't large enough to store all his inventory," he says.

Big Haul

The Pensacola lockers, at about 4 feet high, could store plenty of macks, he says, a good thing for inmates who played poker, since a winning hand could result in a big haul. A spokeswoman for Pensacola said prison authorities discipline inmates who are caught bartering. At Lompoc, says spokeswoman Katie Shinn, guards "are not aware of such a problem with mackerel." When officials do catch inmates bartering, she says, punishments can include a loss of commissary privileges or moving to a less desirable cell.


There are other threats to the mackerel economy, says Mr. Linder, of Power Commissary. "There are shortages world-wide, in terms of the catch," he says. Combined with the weak dollar, that's led to a surging mack. Now, he says, a pouch of mackerel sells for more than $1 in most commissaries.
Another problem with mackerel is that once a prisoner's sentence is up, there's little to do with it -- the fish can't be redeemed for cash, and has little value on the outside. As a result, says Mr. Levine, prisoners approaching their release must either barter or give away their stockpiles.


That's what Mr. Levine did when he got out of prison last year. Since then, he's set up a consulting business offering advice to inmates and soon-to-be prisoners. He consults on various matters, such as how to request facility transfers and how to file grievances against wardens.


It's similar to the work he provided fellow inmates when he was in prison. But now, he says, "I get paid in American dollars."


Write to Justin Scheck at justin.scheck@wsj.com

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122290720439096481.html

[DirkFTW]

Israel develops "nuclear" stink bomb.

The creative minds inside Israel's Border Police have invented a new crowd control weapon, one that pays homage to that devil of a stinker, Pepé Le Pew.

Israel's police force has a bad rep when it comes to deploying force against protestors -- both left-wing Israeli activists and Palestinians. Critics have called into question the use of rubber-covered steel bullets (which when shot at close range can shatter bones) and tear gas (which burns the eyes and induces vomiting) on numerous occasions.

The push to find alternative, less dangerous weaponry began in 2000 after 13 Arab Israelis were killed by police fire. In a conscious effort to reduce potential injury when force is required (and to avoid future flak), Israeli security forces are now employing a new invention: "The Skunk."

The concoction, sprayed in a cannon-like stream into the air, showering down upon crowds, is said to be highly effective.
Here's how one BBC reporter describes it:

Imagine the worst, most foul thing you have ever smelled. An overpowering mix of rotting meat, old socks that haven't been washed for weeks -- topped off with the pungent waft of an open sewer.

Imagine being covered in the stuff as it is liberally sprayed from a water cannon.

Then imagine not being able to get rid of the stench for at least three days, no matter how often you try to scrub yourself clean."

The stench -- which apparently lingers on the skin and in hair for days and can be smelled from quite a distance -- is a serious problem. Apparently, neither soap nor tomato sauce is doing the job. It's so potent that even police stations can't store Skunk, as the smell permeates containers.

While some are still unsure that Israel's police force has found its silver bullet, amazingly, the substance is completely non-toxic and contains zero poison. The head of the police's department of technological development, David Ben Harosh, who, much to the dismay of his family first tested Skunk on himself, says it's so safe, "You can drink it, and you would definitely have a great protein drink."

Many in Israel and Palestine are likely to celebrate the steps the Israeli police are taking to reduce violence, but I doubt anyone caught in the spray will be toasting The Skunk.

Link

[DirkFTW]

Woman arrested for killing virtual reality husband

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- A 43-year-old Japanese woman whose sudden divorce in a virtual game world made her so angry that she killed her online husband's digital persona has been arrested on suspicion of hacking, police said Thursday.

The woman, who is jailed on suspicion of illegally accessing a computer and manipulating electronic data, used his identification and password to log onto popular interactive game "Maple Story" to carry out the virtual murder in mid-May, a police official in northern Sapporo said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.

"I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry," the official quoted her as telling investigators and admitting the allegations.

The woman had not plotted any revenge in the real world, the official said.

She has not yet been formally charged, but if convicted could face a prison term of up to five years or a fine up to $5,000.

Players in "Maple Story" raise and manipulate digital images called "avatars" that represent themselves, while engaging in relationships, social activities and fighting against monsters and other obstacles.
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The woman used login information she got from the 33-year-old office worker when their characters were happily married, and killed the character. The man complained to police when he discovered that his beloved online avatar was dead.

The woman was arrested Wednesday and was taken across the country, traveling 620 miles from her home in southern Miyazaki to be detained in Sapporo, where the man lives, the official said.

The police official said he did not know if she was married in the real world.

In recent years, virtual lives have had consequences in the real world. In August, a woman was charged in Delaware with plotting the real-life abduction of a boyfriend she met through "Second Life," another virtual interactive world.

In Tokyo, police arrested a 16-year-old boy on charges of swindling virtual currency worth $360,000 in an interactive role playing game by manipulating another player's portfolio using a stolen ID and password.

Virtual games are popular in Japan, and "Second Life" has drawn a fair number of Japanese participants. They rank third by nationality among users, after Americans and Brazilians.

Link

[mary]

Downsizing to 100 square feet of bliss

From Thelma Gutierrez and Traci Tamura
CNN American Morning


CALISTOGA, California (CNN) -- Bill and Sharon Kastrinos practice the ultimate in minimalism. They've squeezed into a 154-square-foot home that looks more like a kid's playhouse than their previous 1,800-square-foot home.

With the economy crashing, the Kastrinos traded in their spacious kitchen for one that stretches barely an arm's length.

It hasn't been without its challenges, but Sharon Kastrinos says it's exhilarating to no longer feel compelled to keep up with the Joneses. "There's a tremendous burden that's off your shoulders," she says. "Small is OK, and it might even be better."

Her husband adds that most Americans "want to be seen in their big house with a big car." But not them, not anymore.

"I don't think bigger is better," he says.

Bill Kastrinos had been in the construction business in Southern California. But when the real estate market went bust, it forced the couple to reconsider their lifestyle. Watch what life is like in a home the size of a shed »

Now, they live in a place so small, he and his wife use a ladder to climb into their bed every night. The downstairs has a sitting area, tiny kitchen and bathroom in a space that's 98 square feet. The upstairs loft has a bed in 56 square feet of space. They keep extra clothes in their car.
"It's a very simple lifestyle," he says. "The downside of it is it takes a readjustment. You can't have 100 pairs of shoes in the closet or 50 outfits."

The upside?

The house cost them $15,000, and the utilities are a mere $15 a month. The couple now live on property owned by their daughter in California wine country, where the average home in 2007 cost $725,000. If they want to leave, the home has wheels and can be pulled behind their vehicle and plugged into any RV park in the nation.

The family still has their 1,800-square-foot home, but they will probably sell it. The house is too expensive, they say, costing them about $1,500 a month in mortgage payments, plus another $160 in utilities.

The change to their shed-like home has been so dramatic that Bill Kastrinos is now building the tiny homes to sell. He's sold 11 in six months, most of them in the range of $15,000 to $20,000. Clients range from people on welfare to retirees on fixed income, he says. Inquiries about the homes are on the rise, he adds.

The Kastrinoses might be extreme in their shedding the traditional American dream, but others are trying it too. iReport: Do you live in a small space? Show us how you make it work

In nearby Sebastopol, California, Jay Shafer designs tiny homes and has even started a blog about living on less. His homes have a designer feel -- interior wood paneling, stainless steel kitchens, built-in bookcases -- packed into a space about the size of walk-in closets of upscale homes. His smallest home has 65 square feet; his biggest (a three-bedroom place) has 774 square feet.

"I look around and I do see a lot of people who seem they're slaves to their homes," he says. "I didn't want to pay rent or a mortgage forever. So my plan was to escape the rat race."

Is he trying to make a political statement, or is his new way of life about being practical?

"It's both," he says, his head touching the vaulted ceiling from his bed. "It's a very practical thing for me. If I didn't have a 100-square-foot house, I probably wouldn't be able to afford to live in this county. Aside from that, politically speaking, I like the idea of showing people how little a person could need."
By sizing down, he says he's living on a total of $15,000 a year. He doesn't have to worry about not making a mortgage payment and gets to work a job that he enjoys.

"Living in a small house has allowed me to do what I love doing, which is designing more small houses," he says.

He, too, has purged junk and other items, donating most of it to the Salvation Army and to friends. "It does feel good," he says. "I don't miss the extra books, the extra clothes I never wore."

He's married, but there's not enough space for his spouse in his place. He's designing her a nearby place that's about triple the size of his: 280 square feet.

He admits a tiny house isn't for everybody. But with the economy in a tailspin, he says, he doesn't worry one bit about it, thanks to his newfound lifestyle. It's peace of mind you can't put a price on.

"I don't think I have anything to worry about," he says. "I've made more money, and I can save all of it and still go out to eat."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayof...ses/index.html

[ty]

^ Do they sleep vertically?

Kidding, what an idea. I'm sure they save a crap load of costs.

[Flacolaco]

UPDATE 1-S&P slashes New York Times rating to "junk"

http://www.reuters.com/article/bonds...53585920081023

NEW YORK, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's on Thursday slashed its ratings on the New York Times Co (NYT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) into junk territory and cited concerns about the newspaper publisher's revenue outlook, after it posted a third-quarter loss.

Moody's Investors Service also said it may follow the move, adding the publisher faces risks in refinancing its debt.

The New York Times posted a quarterly loss from continuing operations on Thursday and said advertising revenue at its news media group dropped 16 percent for the quarter. For details, see [ID:nN23398087]
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It cut the Times' rating three notches to "BB-minus," three levels below investment grade, from "BBB-minus." The outlook is negative, indicating an additional cut may be likely over the next one-to-two years.
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Funny, I've had it rated as junk for years now.

[DirkFTW]

"My word is my bond."

"Yea, junk bond!" *throws baseball*

(anyone know the movie?)

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by DirkFTW

"My word is my bond."

"Yea, junk bond!" *throws baseball*

(anyone know the movie?)

Hook (it was that kid from What About Bob and Dick Tracy who said it... I suck as bad as that movie for knowing that line...)

...but don't we have another thread for movie quotes???