I Met Tony Shaloub Today!

Actor Tony Shaloub was guest lecturer today at Mott Community College (part of the Ballenger Eminent Persons Lecture Series). Actutally, it was more of an interview, with the stage set to look like the office of Dr. Bell, Mr. Monk's psychiatrist.

Shaloub was funny, gave lots of good advice for young actors, and talked about his career. At the end many of us walked up to the stage to get our programs autographed. Although the organizers did not take this into consideration and Shaloub had to move on to his next engagement, he signed programs and DVDs for as many people as he could. I didn't really get a chance to talk to him but I got a big smile when I handed him a wipe to take on the plane (they never clean those tray tables, you know). :) What a wonderful, funny man. I'm just sorry he had to rush off.

Congratulations on the Arab American of the Year Award you'll be receiving tomorrow night, Mr. Shaloub!

Julia's Kitchen is Complete Again

I haven't seen Julie and Julia yet, but just read that Julia's copper pots are now in the Smithsonian with the rest of her kitchen. When we saw the exhibit a few years ago, that wall was glass. Now it's an actual wall with her copper pots. I want to go see her reunited kitchen!

Read more on the NPR and Smithsonian web sites.

We miss you, Julia. May the new movie lead new readers/viewers to discover your books, DVDs, and your love of life and food!

Going Paperless

I feel so 21st century: my husband and I have decided to cancel our subscription to The Flint Journal, the major newspaper for our area. Like many other papers, it's facing tough economic decisions and the recent change from daily to a three-day-a-week paper just didn't help. At best, it was good for local news (and the funnies and syndicated columns I like to read daily), but with the three-day format there was even less local news AND they got rid of a lot of stuff I do like.

For a while now I've been reading the funnies and syndicated columns online so the Journal's change to a useless three-day format made canceling an easy decision. Unfortunately, the Journal's web site is one of the worst I've every seen, so I won't be reading it. Sadly, the same company provides the web sites for most of the city papers in Michigan (Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, etc.) so they are all equally bad. I'll be referring the web site for my local ABC TV station for local news from now.

I'd thought I'd miss reading a printed newspaper but I don't. (It looks so quaint now on Miss Marple!) By reading it online I don't get ink all over my hands, don't have to worry about recycling, and never miss an issue because the paperboy forgot me for some reason. I think I actually prefer electronic format! I still love printed books but I'm also not opposed to ebooks and magazines, especially for travel.

Now I want a Kindle. :)

Way to Go, Kevin!

In today's Flint Journal: Filmmaker Kevin Leffler takes on Michael Moore, Moore-style

I've pasted the story here, in case the link disappears.

Filmmaker Kevin Leffler takes on Michael Moore, Moore-style
by Carol Azizian | The Flint Journal Saturday November 29, 2008, 12:20 AM

















From "Shooting Michael Moore"
In his documentary, "Shooting Michael Moore," Davison native Kevin Leffler uses the same tactics against Michael Moore that made him famous. The movie is being shown in commercial theaters for the first time.

Kevin Leffler turned the cameras on Michael Moore -- and now he's getting a wider audience to show the results.

In his documentary, "Shooting Michael Moore," Leffler adopts the famous filmmaker's guerilla interview tactics to harp on what he sees as inconsistencies and hypocrisies in Moore's popular and high-grossing movies.

Leffler, a Davison native who attended high school with Moore, said he wants the public to "see the other side of Michael Moore and make their own decisions."

The movie premiered a year ago at the Flint Film Festival and is being shown for the first time in commercial theaters -- from Dec. 5-11 at AMC Great Lakes 25 in Auburn Hills, AMC Forum 30 in Sterling Heights and AMC Laurel Park 10 in Livonia.

Leffler says he is not a right-wing critic or even an indie filmmaker. He's an accountant and Baker College professor who taught himself how to use a film camera and spent $250,000 of his own money to make the film.

When "Shooting Michael Moore" first premiered at the Flint Film Festival in 2007 -- it won an audience choice award -- Leffler said he was a registered Democrat with no political ax to grind.

His motivation was simple. He wanted people to see the Michael Moore he knew.

"Mike is out for Mike. I don't have a problem with him making money, but don't tell me you're fighting for the underclass and people without a voice," Leffler said.

Moore could not be reached for comment, but Leffler's film is not the first to criticize the filmmaker. Another one titled "Manufactured Dissent," was released in 2007 by Canadian filmmakers.

At the time, Moore told The Journal: "There have been about 10 films made against me. I haven't seen any of them. ... I get so used to listening to the stuff people say about me, it becomes entertainment ... like a fictional character has been created named Michael Moore."

Throughout his documentary, Leffler poses as a "Mini Mike," wearing a baseball cap -- Moore's signature garb -- while he interviews subjects and even a cameraman from the Oscar winner's films, reads contradictory quotes from his books and takes a critical view of Moore's movies.

Leffler sometimes interviews people Moore himself previously interviewed and who claim their comments were taken out of context.

In the film, Leffler tries to contact Moore to get some answers.

When phone calls and letters fail, he trespasses onto his picturesque northern Michigan property -- where arrives by boat -- and plants a life-size cardboard figure of President George W. Bush.

He eventually catches up with Moore at the Traverse City Film Festival, where he introduces the famous filmmaker to the parents of the late Sgt. Raymond Plouhar who was killed in Iraq. They tell Moore that his cameramen didn't divulge the real nature of "Fahrenheit 9/11" when they took footage of Plouhar recruiting potential soldiers in Flint.

Leffler also says Moore's stance against corporate America conflicts with his financial practices. Leffler shows a tax return from a nonprofit established by Moore that invests in major corporations such as Exxon Mobil, Halliburton (from which Vice President Dick Cheney retired) and major drug companies.

Leffler also flew to Cuba to dispute Moore's somewhat rosy view of the country's universal health care in "Sicko."

He said he plans to take the film to some of the same film festivals where Moore's films were a big hit. And he's looking for a distributor.

Is Leffler concerned about Moore taking legal action against him?

"I'm willing to accept that risk," Leffler said.

I'm so glad Kevin did this so people outside of Davison can see what Michael Moore is really like. I can hardly wait to see this movie!

Holy Crap! Michael Crichton Dies

Holy crap! This was not the news I was expecting to see on CNN today: 'Jurassic Park' author, 'ER' creator Crichton dies.

I've pasted the story here in case the link disappears.
'Jurassic Park' author, 'ER' creator Crichton dies

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Michael Crichton, who helped create the TV show "ER" and wrote the best-sellers "Jurassic Park," "The Andromeda Strain," "Sphere" and "Rising Sun," has died in Los Angeles, his public relations firm said in a news release.

















Michael Crichton, here in 2005, was a director and best-selling author. He co-created the TV series "ER."

Crichton died unexpectedly Tuesday "after a courageous and private battle against cancer," the release said.

He was 66.

Crichton, a medical doctor, was attracted to cautionary science tales.

"Jurassic Park" -- perhaps his best-known work -- concerned capturing the DNA of dinosaurs and bringing them to life on a modern island, where they soon run amok; "The Andromeda Strain," his first major fiction success, involves an alien microorganism that's studied in a special military compound after causing death in a nearby community.

Crichton also invited controversy with some of his scientific views. He was an avowed skeptic of global climate change, giving lectures warning against "consensus science." He later took on global warming and the theories surrounding it in his 2004 novel, "State of Fear," which attracted attacks in its own right from scientists, including NASA climatologist James Hansen.

Crichton was a distinctive figure in the entertainment business, a trained physician whose interests included writing, filmmaking and television. (He was physically distinctive as well, standing 6 feet 9 inches.)

He published "The Andromeda Strain" while he was still a medical student at Harvard Medical School. He wrote a story about a 19th-century train robbery, called "The Great Train Robbery," and then directed the 1979 film version.

He also directed several other films, including "Westworld" (1973), "Coma" (1978), "Looker" (1981) and "Runaway" (1984).

In 1993, while working on the film version of "Jurassic Park" with Steven Spielberg, he teamed with the director to create "ER." The NBC series set in a Chicago emergency room debuted in 1994 and became a huge hit, making a star of George Clooney. Crichton originally wrote the script for the pilot in 1974.

"Michael's talent out-scaled even his own dinosaurs of 'Jurassic Park,' " said Spielberg, a friend of Crichton's for 40 years, according to The Associated Press. "He was the greatest at blending science with big theatrical concepts, which is what gave credibility to dinosaurs again walking the Earth. ... Michael was a gentle soul who reserved his flamboyant side for his novels. There is no one in the wings that will ever take his place."

Crichton was "an extraordinary man. Brilliant, funny, erudite, gracious, exceptionally inquisitive and always thoughtful," "ER" executive producer John Wells told the AP. "No lunch with Michael lasted less than three hours and no subject was too prosaic or obscure to attract his interest. Sexual politics, medical and scientific ethics, anthropology, archaeology, economics, astronomy, astrology, quantum physics, and molecular biology were all regular topics of conversation."

Michael Crichton was born in Chicago in 1942 and grew up in New York's suburbs. His father was a journalist and Michael loved the writing profession. He went to medical school partly out of a concern he wouldn't be able to make writing a career, but the success of "The Andromeda Strain" in 1969 -- the book was chosen by the Book-of-the-Month Club and optioned by Hollywood -- made him change his mind, though he still had an M.D.

Though most of Crichton's books were major best-sellers involving science, he could ruffle feathers when he took on social issues. "Rising Sun" (1992) came out during a time when Americans feared Japanese ascendance, particularly when it came to technology. "Disclosure" (1994) was about a sexual harassment case.

Crichton won an Emmy, a Peabody, a Writers Guild of America Award for "ER," and won other awards as well.

"Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand," the news release said.

Crichton was married five times and had one child.

A private funeral service is expected.


I am stunned, sad, and speechless.

Farewell, Opus

My all-time favorite comic character, Opus, retired yesterday. Berkeley Breathed has decided that, in light of the political climate, it's time to end his Opus strip.

To see the last panel* of the last strip, which revealed Opus's resting place for eternity, readers had to visit the Human Society web site. It was a satisfactory fate for our beloved little penguin (the only thing better would be finding his long-long mother) but I'm still sad and annoyed to see the strip end!

Good night, little buddy, and sweet dreams. May Berekely change his mind and wake you again some day.


* For those who didn't understand the panel: it's a reference to the children's book Goodnight, Moon. It's also an allusion to the fact that although Opus won't be appearing in a regular comic strip, he will appear in Breathed's children's books.

What Bush and Batman Have in Common

I don't usually write about politics but was struck by this interesting article in last week's Wall Street Journal: What Bush and Batman Have in Common

Click here to read a copy.

What Bush and Batman Have in Common

By ANDREW KLAVAN
July 25, 2008; Page A15

A cry for help goes out from a city beleaguered by violence and fear: A beam of light flashed into the night sky, the dark symbol of a bat projected onto the surface of the racing clouds . . .

Oh, wait a minute. That's not a bat, actually. In fact, when you trace the outline with your finger, it looks kind of like . . . a "W."

There seems to me no question that the Batman film "The Dark Knight," currently breaking every box office record in history, is at some level a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war. Like W, Batman is vilified and despised for confronting terrorists in the only terms they understand. Like W, Batman sometimes has to push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency, certain that he will re-establish those boundaries when the emergency is past.

And like W, Batman understands that there is no moral equivalence between a free society -- in which people sometimes make the wrong choices -- and a criminal sect bent on destruction. The former must be cherished even in its moments of folly; the latter must be hounded to the gates of Hell.

"The Dark Knight," then, is a conservative movie about the war on terror. And like another such film, last year's "300," "The Dark Knight" is making a fortune depicting the values and necessities that the Bush administration cannot seem to articulate for beans.

Conversely, time after time, left-wing films about the war on terror -- films like "In The Valley of Elah," "Rendition" and "Redacted" -- which preach moral equivalence and advocate surrender, that disrespect the military and their mission, that seem unable to distinguish the difference between America and Islamo-fascism, have bombed more spectacularly than Operation Shock and Awe.

Why is it then that left-wingers feel free to make their films direct and realistic, whereas Hollywood conservatives have to put on a mask in order to speak what they know to be the truth? Why is it, indeed, that the conservative values that power our defense -- values like morality, faith, self-sacrifice and the nobility of fighting for the right -- only appear in fantasy or comic-inspired films like "300," "Lord of the Rings," "Narnia," "Spiderman 3" and now "The Dark Knight"?

The moment filmmakers take on the problem of Islamic terrorism in realistic films, suddenly those values vanish. The good guys become indistinguishable from the bad guys, and we end up denigrating the very heroes who defend us. Why should this be?

The answers to these questions seem to me to be embedded in the story of "The Dark Knight" itself: Doing what's right is hard, and speaking the truth is dangerous. Many have been abhorred for it, some killed, one crucified.

Leftists frequently complain that right-wing morality is simplistic. Morality is relative, they say; nuanced, complex. They're wrong, of course, even on their own terms.

Left and right, all Americans know that freedom is better than slavery, that love is better than hate, kindness better than cruelty, tolerance better than bigotry. We don't always know how we know these things, and yet mysteriously we know them nonetheless.

The true complexity arises when we must defend these values in a world that does not universally embrace them -- when we reach the place where we must be intolerant in order to defend tolerance, or unkind in order to defend kindness, or hateful in order to defend what we love.

When heroes arise who take those difficult duties on themselves, it is tempting for the rest of us to turn our backs on them, to vilify them in order to protect our own appearance of righteousness. We prosecute and execrate the violent soldier or the cruel interrogator in order to parade ourselves as paragons of the peaceful values they preserve. As Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon says of the hated and hunted Batman, "He has to run away -- because we have to chase him."

That's real moral complexity. And when our artistic community is ready to show that sometimes men must kill in order to preserve life; that sometimes they must violate their values in order to maintain those values; and that while movie stars may strut in the bright light of our adulation for pretending to be heroes, true heroes often must slink in the shadows, slump-shouldered and despised -- then and only then will we be able to pay President Bush his due and make good and true films about the war on terror.

Perhaps that's when Hollywood conservatives will be able to take off their masks and speak plainly in the light of day.

Mr. Klavan has won two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. His new novel, "Empire of Lies" (An Otto Penzler Book, Harcourt), is about an ordinary man confronting the war on terror.

Glowing Granite Counterops

Right after we moved to our new apartment with granite countertops, bathroom floors, and bathroom tiles, we noticed a spot on the kitchen counter that glowed in the dark. We thought it was a little strange but weren't too worried until we read "What’s Lurking in Your Countertop?" by Kate Murphy in yesterday's New York Times.

The granite shown in the article looks exactly like ours. One of the salesgirls in the rental office checked and told me that our granite came from China. After the pet food problem, that didn't make me feel any better!

I realize its unlikely we have dangerous levels of radon or uranium in our counters but I have asked maintenance to check anyway. They tried to tell me that:

1. The glow is not due to a finish or anything they put on the counter (I realize that)
2. They can't see any glow (That's because we only see it at night; closing the blinds during the day doesn't make it dark enough to see the glow)
3. Granite has a natural sparkle (I know that)
4. Granite is natural and comes from the ground (I know that -- that's also where radiation and radon come from!)

I don't care if it makes me look paranoid, I asked them to test it anyway if only because I have an old, sick cat and it would give me peace of mind knowing that I'm not exposing her to anything bad. At least I'll sleep better after its been tested!

Click here to read the article.

Since you have to log in to the NY Times to read it, I've pasted the story here. I have omitted internal links to the NY Times.

What’s Lurking in Your Countertop?
By KATE MURPHY
Published: July 24, 2008

SHORTLY before Lynn Sugarman of Teaneck, N.J., bought her summer home in Lake George, N.Y., two years ago, a routine inspection revealed it had elevated levels of radon, a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. So she called a radon measurement and mitigation technician to find the source.















Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
TESTING Reports of granite emitting high levels of radon and radiation are increasing.

















Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
DETECTION Using devices like the Geiger counter and the radiation detection instrument Stanley Liebert measures the radiation and radon emanating from granite like that in Lynn Sugarman’s kitchen counters.


“He went from room to room,” said Dr. Sugarman, a pediatrician. But he stopped in his tracks in the kitchen, which had richly grained cream, brown and burgundy granite countertops. His Geiger counter indicated that the granite was emitting radiation at levels 10 times higher than those he had measured elsewhere in the house.

“My first thought was, my pregnant daughter was coming for the weekend,” Dr. Sugarman said. When the technician told her to keep her daughter several feet from the countertops just to be safe, she said, “I had them ripped out that very day,” and sent to the state Department of Health for analysis. The granite, it turned out, contained high levels of uranium, which is not only radioactive but releases radon gas as it decays. “The health risk to me and my family was probably small,” Dr. Sugarman said, “but I felt it was an unnecessary risk.”

As the popularity of granite countertops has grown in the last decade — demand for them has increased tenfold, according to the Marble Institute of America, a trade group representing granite fabricators — so have the types of granite available. For example, one source, Graniteland (graniteland.com) offers more than 900 kinds of granite from 63 countries. And with increased sales volume and variety, there have been more reports of “hot” or potentially hazardous countertops, particularly among the more exotic and striated varieties from Brazil and Namibia.

“It’s not that all granite is dangerous,” said Stanley Liebert, the quality assurance director at CMT Laboratories in Clifton Park, N.Y., who took radiation measurements at Dr. Sugarman’s house. “But I’ve seen a few that might heat up your Cheerios a little.”

Allegations that granite countertops may emit dangerous levels of radon and radiation have been raised periodically over the past decade, mostly by makers and distributors of competing countertop materials. The Marble Institute of America has said such claims are “ludicrous” because although granite is known to contain uranium and other radioactive materials like thorium and potassium, the amounts in countertops are not enough to pose a health threat.

Indeed, health physicists and radiation experts agree that most granite countertops emit radiation and radon at extremely low levels. They say these emissions are insignificant compared with so-called background radiation that is constantly raining down from outer space or seeping up from the earth’s crust, not to mention emanating from manmade sources like X-rays, luminous watches and smoke detectors.

But with increasing regularity in recent months, the Environmental Protection Agency has been receiving calls from radon inspectors as well as from concerned homeowners about granite countertops with radiation measurements several times above background levels. “We’ve been hearing from people all over the country concerned about high readings,” said Lou Witt, a program analyst with the agency’s Indoor Environments Division.

Last month, Suzanne Zick, who lives in Magnolia, Tex., a small town northwest of Houston, called the E.P.A. and her state’s health department to find out what she should do about the salmon-colored granite she had installed in her foyer a year and a half ago. A geology instructor at a community college, she realized belatedly that it could contain radioactive material and had it tested. The technician sent her a report indicating that the granite was emitting low to moderately high levels of both radon and radiation, depending on where along the stone the measurement was taken.

“I don’t really know what the numbers are telling me about my risk,” Ms. Zick said. “I don’t want to tear it out, but I don’t want cancer either.”

The E.P.A. recommends taking action if radon gas levels in the home exceeds 4 picocuries per liter of air (a measure of radioactive emission); about the same risk for cancer as smoking a half a pack of cigarettes per day. In Dr. Sugarman’s kitchen, the readings were 100 picocuries per liter. In her basement, where radon readings are expected to be higher because the gas usually seeps into homes from decaying uranium underground, the readings were 6 picocuries per liter.

The average person is subjected to radiation from natural and manmade sources at an annual level of 360 millirem (a measure of energy absorbed by the body), according to government agencies like the E.P.A. and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The limit of additional exposure set by the commission for people living near nuclear reactors is 100 millirem per year. To put this in perspective, passengers get 3 millirem of cosmic radiation on a flight from New York to Los Angeles.

A “hot” granite countertop like Dr. Sugarman’s might add a fraction of a millirem per hour and that is if you were a few inches from it or touching it the entire time.

Nevertheless, Mr. Witt said, “There is no known safe level of radon or radiation.” Moreover, he said, scientists agree that “any exposure increases your health risk.” A granite countertop that emits an extremely high level of radiation, as a small number of commercially available samples have in recent tests, could conceivably expose body parts that were in close proximity to it for two hours a day to a localized dose of 100 millirem over just a few months.












Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
A radiation detection instrument.

Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
A Geiger counter.

David J. Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University in New York, said the cancer risk from granite countertops, even those emitting radiation above background levels, is “on the order of one in a million.” Being struck by lightning is more likely. Nonetheless, Dr. Brenner said, “It makes sense. If you can choose another counter that doesn’t elevate your risk, however slightly, why wouldn’t you?”

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking and is considered especially dangerous to smokers, whose lungs are already compromised. Children and developing fetuses are vulnerable to radiation, which can cause other forms of cancer. Mr. Witt said the E.P.A. is not studying health risks associated with granite countertops because of a “lack of resources.”

The Marble Institute of America plans to develop a testing protocol for granite. “We want to reassure the public that their granite countertops are safe,” Jim Hogan, the group’s president, said earlier this month “We know the vast majority of granites are safe, but there are some new exotic varieties coming in now that we’ve never seen before, and we need to use sound science to evaluate them.”

Research scientists at Rice University in Houston and at the New York State Department of Health are currently conducting studies of granite widely used in kitchen counters. William J. Llope, a professor of physics at Rice, said his preliminary results show that of the 55 samples he has collected from nearby fabricators and wholesalers, all of which emit radiation at higher-than-background levels, a handful have tested at levels 100 times or more above background.

Personal injury lawyers are already advertising on the Web for clients who think they may have been injured by countertops. “I think it will be like the mold litigation a few years back, where some cases were legitimate and a whole lot were not,” said Ernest P. Chiodo, a physician and lawyer in Detroit who specializes in toxic tort law. His kitchen counters are granite, he said, “but I don’t spend much time in the kitchen.”

As for Dr. Sugarman, the contractor of the house she bought in Lake George paid for the removal of her “hot” countertops. She replaced them with another type of granite. “But I had them tested first,” she said.

Where to Find Tests and Testers

TO find a certified technician to determine whether radiation or radon is emanating from a granite countertop, homeowners can contact the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (aarst.org). Testing costs between $100 and $300.

Information on certified technicians and do-it-yourself radon testing kits is available from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site at epa.gov/radon, as well as from state or regional indoor air environment offices, which can be found at epa.gov/iaq/whereyoulive.html. Kits test for radon, not radiation, and cost $20 to $30. They are sold at hardware stores and online.

Charities to Avoid

Want to help veterans this holiday season? Be careful which organizations you donate to! I just read in the Dec. 13 Flint Journal that Eight veterans charities gave less than a third of the money raised to veterans! Refer to Where to Give As Veterans Get Shortchanged By Charities (by Fox News) before you donate.

Here is the American Institute of Philanthropy's report card for veteran and military charities. (This list was printed with the article in The Flint Journal on Dec. 13 but I have not found this convenient list online, not even on the American Institute of Philanthropy's web site!) The letter grades are based on the charities' fundraising cost and percentage of the money raised that was spent on charitable activities:

Air Force Aid Society = A+
American Ex-Prisoners of War Service Foundation = F
American Veterans Coalition = F
American Veterans Relief Foundation = F
AMVETS National Service Foundation = F
Armed Services YMCA oif the USA = A-
Army Emergency Relief Fund = A+
Blinded Veterans Association = D
Disabled American Veterans = D
Disabled Veterans Association = F
Fisher House Foundation = A+
Freedom Alliance = F
Help Hospitalized Veterans/Coalition to Salute America's Heroes = F
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund = A+
Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation = F
National Military Family Association = A
National Veterans Service Fund = F
National Vietnam Veterans Committee = D
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society = A+
NCOA National Defense Foundation = F
Paralyzed Veterans of America = F
Soldiers' Angels = D
United Spinal Association's Wounded Warrior Project = D
USO United Service Organization = C+
Veterans of Foreign Wars and Foundation = C-
Veterans of the Vietnam War & The Veterans Coalition = D
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund = D
VietNow National Headquarters - F
World War II Veterans Committee = D

Shameful, eh? Especially during the holidays when everyone wants to help our soldiers!

Aquadots Recall

In today's news: Aquadots recall after chemicals in toy converts to date rape drug.

Aquadots + saliva = GHB. You have to wonder what rocket scientist didn't think to test how these things would react with saliva.

---

Atlanta, GA 11/08/2007 03:47 PM GMT (FINDITT)

A popular children’s toy called Aqua Dots, also know as Aqua Beads, are being recalled after tests found chemicals in the toy that can turn into a date rape drug if swallowed. Aquadots were first recalled in Australia where they are marketed as Bindeez by Moose Enterprises. United States based manufacture Spin Master Toys are following suit after two children were hospitalized after swallowing the beads.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the Aqua Dots recall on Wednesday. Scientists say chemical coating on the beads can convert into the date rape drug gamma hydroxy butyrate when swallowed. They say the chemicals can induce seizures, unconsciousness, coma and death.

Madeleine McCann's Parents Prime Suspects

Today on FoxNews: Portugese Police to Name Parents as Suspects in Madeleine McCann Disappearance.

I'm not surprised. I've wondered all along why the parents weren't accused of neglect at the very least. What kind of parents leave a four-year-old and two-year-old twins alone in a hotel room while they go out to dinner?

A Tragic Accident

After a three-year investigation, Scotland Yard concluded that Princess Diana's death was a tragic accident, not murder. You can download the full report in pdf format.

My heart goes out to Diana's sons who lost their mother far too soon, thanks to a mix of the French paparazzi, a drunk driver, and unused seatbelts.

I also feel sorry for Mohamed al Fayed who still believes Diana and his son, Dodi, were murdered. Maybe it's easier for him to believe than the awful truth: they might have survived if they had been wearing seatbelts; the crash probably would have not happened had the driver been sober; the chase wouldn't have occurred if not for the paparazzi.

Personally, I blame everyone involved. It was senseless of human life, one that will haunt Diana's sons for the rest of their lives. What a sad reminder of common sense: don't drink and drive and always wear a seatbelt.

Jesse the Hero

Today on CNN: Dog saves owner from fire, dies trying to rescue cat. I was touched by the sad story of this brave dog and feel very sorry for owner who survived but lost both pets. Extra hugs for my kitties today!

Like Father, Like Daughter

In the news today: Bindi Irwin gets own wildlife show. I admire the Irwins for going on with the show under such sad circumstances.

On a related note from a Sept. 27, 2006 interview: Widow: 'Croc Hunter' thought he'd die young. She thought he'd fall out of a tree, he thought it would be a car wreck. (I -- and probably the rest of the world -- figured it would be a crocodile or a great big snake.) Neither of them dreamed it would be a Stingray. It still really bothers me that he died from something so stupidly rare and not usually fatal. How tragic.

UPDATE: Oct. 19. A Florida man survived stingray stab in the chest because he didn't try to pull it out. I can only imagine how awful this must make Steve Irwin's family feel. You can't help but wonder "what if...?".

Teaching Kids to Fight Back

Yesterday on CNN.com: Students taught to fight armed classroom invaders.

What the hell took so long?

I can't help but wonder if Columbine and other school massacres could have been avoided if students had fought back. Since 9/11/01 I've wondered if I would have been as brave as the passengers on Flight 93 who fought back. One thing I do know: if you are going to die anyway, you might as well try. At the very least you go down fighting, but if you are successful you can stop a tragedy in its tracks.

Crikey!

Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter
1962-2006

“The audience needs to come with me and be there with that animal. If we can touch people about wildlife, then they want to save it. ... My job, my mission, my reason for being on this planet is to save wildlife. Thanks for coming along!"

**********
What can I say that hasn't already been said? Wild animals everywhere have lost their greatest friend and champion. After all those close calls, I still can't believe a mere stingray killed the seemingly immortal Crocodile Hunter. Rest in peace, mate. I'll miss your boundless enthusiam, your love of life, and your love of wildlife.

Visit the Animal Planet Tribute Site to share your thoughts or photos, send condolences to the Irwins, donate to the Wildlife Warriors Fund, or watch clips from The Crocodile Hunter.

Justice for JonBenet?

Three days ago John Mark Karr confessed that he accidentally killed JonBenet Ramsey in a kidnapping attempt Christmas night, 1996.

Did he or didn't he?

I've seen the video of him on TV repeatedly. Some newspapers are describing this picture as shocked or expressionless but I think he looks smug.

He seems to know stuff about the crime scene that police have not released to the press, yet his wife (or ex-wife) claims he couldn't have done it because he was with her.

On the other hand he claims he drugged JonBenet, but the police have said the autopsy showed no drugs in her system.

My instincts are telling me he didn't do it; he's just some nutcase who confessed because he wants the notoriety. Time and DNA tests will tell. I hope I'm wrong; I hope they've finally caught the killer.

**********

Update Aug. 29: The DNA did not match but Karr will be extradited to California where he's wanted on child pornography charges. Will be have to pay for that business class flight from Thailand to the US with all those fancy meals?!

Terror in the Sky

The first thing I heard when I got up this morning was that New Scotland Yard and MI-5 had foiled a terrorist plot to blow up at least six planes en route from the UK to the US. You can read the latest news on Fox News.

Apparently the plan was to make bombs from innocent-looking liquids that could be carried aboard in carry-on luggage and mixed on the plane. Maximum security is preventing all carry-on luggage except insulin and baby formula. I feel sorry for the innocent passengers who have to check their electronics (including laptops, iPods, and handheld games) into checked luggage.

I'm so proud of the Intelligence folks who stopped what could have been "mass murder on an unimaginable scale" (as Fox News is calling it) and I'm so glad I'm not in the UK trying to get home. (Last year's Mythcon was in England, so that could be us Mythies on those planes!) The passengers must range from nervous, to terrified, to annoyed. I wonder which I'd be? Probably all three.

Fashion Accessory or K9 Cop?

Today on CNN.com: Tiny drug dog sniffs out big career.

Isn't he just the cutest K-9 cop you've ever seen?

Deadly Nigerian Scam

Today on CNN: "Slain preacher's wife fleeced in scam, lawyer says." Mary Winkler, charged with murdering her minister husband in Tennessee in March, may have been motivated by financial problems. She "had gotten tangled up along with her husband in a swindle known as an advance-fee fraud, or the 'Nigerian scam.' Scam victims are told that riches are waiting for them if they send in money to cover the processing expenses, Winkler's lawyers say."

How sad that they not only fell for this scam, but he died for it! People please, say it with me: "No foreigner is going to reward me for allowing him/her to move money into my American bank account."

If you are a victim of this scam the proper response is not to kill your spouse. Instead, contact the Better Business Bureau and the National Fraud Information Center and the Secret Service Financial Crimes Division.

As The Urban Legends Reference Site reminds us: "The Secret Service asks if you have been victimized by the Nigerian scam to forward appropriate written documentation to the United States Secret Service, Financial Crimes Division, 950 H Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20223, or telephone (202) 406-5850, or contact by e-mail. Per their automated response system, they no longer want faxed copies of the various Nigerian scams."

Remember, there's not much anyone can do to help you once you've been scammed, so don't get taken in.

"If somebody tells you you've won something and they want even a nickel before you actually have the money in your hand, they're crooks. It's as simple as that," said Steve Baker, Midwest regional director of the Federal Trade Commission [in the CNN article].

Too bad Matthew and Mary Winkler didn't know that.