Man robs bank then flags down undercover detective for a ride

Thanks to Mark E. White of Bay City, Michigan most of us never have to feel stupid again.

Mr. White, you see, (allegedly) robbed a bank last week without a plan for his getaway. What does he do? He flags down a car being driven by an undercover detective.

From mlive.com (Michigan):

Out of prison for just over three weeks, Mark E. White chose the wrong car to try to hitch a ride with on Wednesday.

Just two blocks from the Citizens Bank at 2815 E. Genesee in Saginaw that he allegedly robbed five minutes earlier, White, 50, flagged down Saginaw Township Detective Scott Jackson of the auto theft division for a ride.

Jackson slowed his car enough to allow city patrol officer Ian Wegner enough time to provide backup, and a little more than three weeks after he was released from prison on parole, White was back in police custody.

Saginaw County District Judge Terry L. Clark on Friday arraigned White on a charges of bank robbery, making a false bomb threat, attempted carjacking, assault with intent to commit a felony and assault and resisting a police officer...

The officers arrested White, 50, three blocks from the bank shortly after the 2:30 p.m. robbery.

As White saw Wegner getting closer, he tried opening Jackson's passenger door without permission. After Jackson told White he was a police officer, White tried to flee before Wegner apprehended him.

A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools. (Proverbs 13:19 ESV)

A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool. (Proverbs 17:10 ESV)

Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom when he has no sense? (Proverbs 17:16 ESV)

Want to be a pretty monkey?

Monkeys should consider a reduced-calorie diet. So says a study reported on in the L.A. Times.

In the new study, scientists tracked 76 adult rhesus monkeys from the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center starting in 1989. Half the animals were fed a typical diet of lab chow, and the rest got a version with a higher concentration of vitamins and minerals to make up for the 30% reduction in chow quantity.

Over the course of the study, the monkeys that ate the regular diet were three times more likely to die of an age-related disease than their counterparts on caloric restriction. Fourteen deaths in the control group were attributable to age-related diseases, compared with five such deaths among the animals that ate 30% fewer calories, according to the study.

The rates of cardiovascular disease and pre-cancerous cell growths were twice as high in the control group compared with the reduced-calorie group.

The researchers also noted that although five of the control monkeys became diabetic and 11 were classified as pre-diabetic, all the calorie-restricted animals remained diabetes-free.

Brain scans revealed significantly less atrophy of gray matter in the monkeys that ate less.

They even looked less wrinkled and flabby.

In all, the monkeys on caloric restriction "appear to be biologically younger than the normally fed animals," the researchers wrote in their report.

There is also good news for other critters:

Evidence has been mounting for years that the practice of caloric restriction -- essentially, going on a permanent diet -- greatly reduces the risk of age-related diseases and even postpones death. It has been shown to significantly extend the lives of yeast, worms, flies, spiders, fish, mice and rats.

There appears to be a downside to all this healthy eating.

Also left unanswered are questions about the psychological state of monkeys who spend most of their adult lives on a forced diet, Roberts said.

Are they happy? Are they hungry? Can they think as fast?

When UCLA evolutionary biologist Jay Phelan put mice on caloric restriction, he got the distinct impression that they didn't appreciate it.

"They bit people and were more agitated," he said. In contrast, the mice who ate a normal diet "would just sit around and let you pick them up."

It also isn't clear whether caloric restriction would extend human lives by very much, Phelan said. He has combined results from animal studies with data on men on the Japanese island of Okinawa who ate 17% fewer calories than men in Tokyo. He calculated that reducing intake by 35% would extend the human life span by just two years.

"The trade-off just isn't worth it," said Phelan, who said he personally would have a hard time giving up doughnuts.

Read the entire article for additional information.

And if you want to be a pretty monkey, reduce your caloric intake.

Merry Christmas in July!

Sears has started their Christmas sale early this year.

That's odd enough I suppose. But check out the second building from the left. It has a K-Mart sign on it. While the companies did merge a few years ago it's still odd seeing a K-Mart sign in a Sears ad.

At any rate, no one will have any excuse for not completing their Christmas shopping on time this year.

Happy shopping!

And Merry Christmas!

The "N" Word

Just made the best smoothie EVER!!!

Having celiac sprue has its benefits. One of which is that every day for lunch I eat a delicious fruit smoothie.

Pictured to the right is the main ingredient. I use about 4.5 - 5 cups of frozen fruit. I use about 1/4 cup of plain yogurt and pour in enough fat-free milk to nearly, but not quite, cover the fruit. I then blend away!

And presto! A delicious, and healthy, lunch.

Let the Episcopal Church be accursed

Regarding those who would distort the gospel of Christ, Paul wrote to the Galatians:

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-9)

The Most Heretical Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, is continuing her assault on the gospel. In her opening address to the 2009 General Convention of the Episcopal Church she stated the following:

The overarching connection in all of these crises has to do with the great Western heresy – that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God.

But what does Scripture say?

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36)

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (John 5:24)

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. (Romans 4:3-5)

(HT: Dan Phillips)

The City of Brotherly Love? Not at the Valley Swim Club if you happen to be black.

From NBC in Philadelphia: Pool Boots Kids Who Might "Change the Complexion"

More than 60 campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club and left to wonder if their race was the reason.

Kids at Creative Steps Day Camp were thrilled to go swimming once a week at the Valley Swim Club. But after only one trip to the private club, they were...

"I heard this lady, she was like, 'Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?' She's like, 'I'm scared they might do something to my child,'" said camper Dymire Baylor.

The Creative Steps Day Camp paid more than $1900 to The Valley Swim Club. The Valley Swim Club is a private club that advertises open membership. But the campers' first visit to the pool suggested otherwise.

"When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool," Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. "The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately."

The next day the club told the camp director that the camp's membership was being suspended and their money would be refunded.

"I said, 'The parents don't want the refund. They want a place for their children to swim,'" camp director Aetha Wright said.

Campers remain unsure why they're no longer welcome.

"They just kicked us out. And we were about to go. Had our swim things and everything," said camper Simer Burwell.

The explanation they got was either dishearteningly honest or poorly worded.

"There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club," John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club said in a statement.

On a brighter note, Campers "Complexion" No Problem for New Pool

So the staff at Girard College, a private Philadelphia boarding school for children who live in low-income and single parent homes, stepped in and offered their pool.

"We had to help," said Girard College director of Admissions Tamara Leclair. "Every child deserves an incredible summer camp experience."

The school already serves 500 campers of its own, but felt they could squeeze in 65 more – especially since the pool is vacant on the day the Creative Steps had originally planned to swim at Valley Swim Club.

"I'm so excited," camp director Alethea Wright exclaimed. There are still a few logistical nuisances -- like insurance -- the organizations have to work out, but it seems the campers will not stay dry for long.

The banning has caused so much controversy that U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) plans to launch an investigation into the discrimination claim.

"The allegations against the swim club as they are reported are extremely disturbing," Specter said in a statement. "I am reaching out to the parties involved to ascertain the facts. Racial discrimination has no place in America today."

Support Ron Paul's HRES 216 IH. Require the House to post the text of any bill for at least 10 days prior to a vote.

HRES 216 IH

111th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. RES. 216

Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to ensure that Members have a reasonable amount of time to read legislation that will be voted upon.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 5, 2009

Mr. PAUL (for himself, Mr. BARTLETT, Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, and Mr. JONES) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules

RESOLUTION

Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to ensure that Members have a reasonable amount of time to read legislation that will be voted upon.

Resolved, That (a) the Rules of the House of Representatives are amended by redesignating rule XXIX as rule XXX and by inserting after rule XXVIII the following new rule:

`RULE XXIX
`Time to Read Legislation Before Voting

`1. Notwithstanding any provision of these rules, no bill, joint resolution, conference report, or amendment between the Houses shall be voted on by the House unless the text of that measure has been available to all Members and their staffs in both printed and electronic format for at least 10 days and any manager's amendment or other amendment which makes substantive changes to the legislation has been made available in both printed and electronic versions for at least 72 hours before the scheduled vote on such legislation.

`2. Clause 1 shall not apply to--

`(1) the intelligence authorization bill, appropriations, or other legislation containing classified information, or conference report thereon, if Members have at least 7 days to study the contents of such measure; and
`(2) congressional declarations of war or authorization of military force to respond to attacks on the United States.

`3. Notwithstanding any provision of these rules, any citizen who is eligible to vote and who is not an employee of the executive or judicial branch of the Government may petition the board of the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate allegations that a Member voted for any measure that violated this rule.'.

(b) Clause 6(c) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by inserting before the period at the end thereof the following: `, or a rule or order that would waive the provisions of rule XXIX'.

(HT: Kim Riddlebarger)

What can you do?

From Dr. Riddlebarger's post:

First, support Ron Paul's HRES 216 IH. OK, I realize that the mere mention of Ron Paul's name will send some of you over the edge--but read this first, and then react. This procedural resolution simply calls for any bill coming up for a vote to be published (on-line) for ten days before the vote can take place in the Congress. This gives both the public and the members of Congress time to actually read and debate all proposed legislation before Congress votes on said legisltation. Paul's resolution is but one paragraph long. Read it! Click here: Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress)

The House of Representatives just passed one of the most far-reaching bills in American history (the so-called "Cap and Trade"), and that bill had not yet even been finalized when it was voted upon! Not to mention a 300 page amendment was submitted at 3:00 AM on the day of the vote. In other words, this monumental bill was passed by members of our Congress who had not even read it! This is irresponsible in the extreme.

What can you do? Ask your congress person to support this resolution. Don't vote for them again if they don't. Call, or email their office and ask where they stand on this. In my mind, members of Congress who vote for legislation they have not read disqualify themselves from holding future office.

Islamic State of North America by 2050?

Probably not something my fellow Americans wanted to consider this Independence Day Weekend, but if we don't do something about it soon it may be too late.

Following is a 10-minute clip of the "The Third Jihad", a 72 minute film which reveals that radical Islamists driven by a religiously motivated rejection of Western values cultures and religion are engaging in a multifaceted strategy to overcome the Western world.

New gun in my sights: The Bushmaster ACR (formerly the Magpul Masada)

In my never ending quest to improve my arsenal I have come across a weapon that may be considered a necessity. For technical information see here or you can just look at the pretty pictures below.





The original name of the weapon, Masada, has a history. From Magpul Industries:

The name Masada comes from the battle of Masada where the Roman X Legion laid siege to the Jews in 72 AD. The fortress stood on top of a plateau and had a secure source of fresh water. Because of this, the Romans were forced to build a ramp to allow their formations to advance up to the fortress without breaking ranks. When the ramp was nearly complete, the Jewish defenders decided to end their existence rather than become the inevitable slaves of the Roman Empire. The citizens of Masada left their food out in plain sight to show the Romans that they were in no danger starving and through this act of defiance they have defined the nature of controlling one’s own destiny.

Magpul Industries is not Jewish owned or Israeli backed, however Magpul has always found the story of the Masada as a bold example of defiance.

Legitimacy for prostitution?

Amsterdam, known as "the world's most liberal city" because of its legalization of prostitution, homosexuality, cannabis, and euthanasia. (source), could be considered a modern day Sodom (Genesis 13:13).

Apparently the city council there has run out of things to do. According to an article from Reuters there is a new pressing problem - banking and credit for prostitutes who can't get accounts from mainstream institutions.

The article continues:

"Up until now, it's been very difficult for people in the sex industry to get credit with the banks," a city council spokesman said on Friday.

"For them it is a hazard that they can not get regular credit or help or mortgages or anything from a regular bank."

The council is expected to come to some sort of conclusion within the next two months on what it might do to help the industry.

It will not, however, establish or sponsor a "sex bank" as reported by a local paper.

"It's more that we're going to investigate and talk with bankers and try to set up a system in which they can get a loan or credit," the spokesman said.

He added the city wants to ensure that prostitution is a "bona fide" industry, and that the "entrepreneurs" who ply the local trade need access to regular bank credit for legitimacy.

I never realized how good we have it in the United States. Here we only have to worry about home foreclosures, unemployment and total economic collapse. I haven't heard anyone complaining about the prostitutes here lacking banking services. Whew!

While the article may be a joke (perhaps July 3rd is like our April Fool's Day) it is not that surprising. For the city council to think they can give legitimacy to prostitution by helping hookers obtain banking services reveals the futility of man's wisdom.

The following, 1 Corinthians 1:18-29, speaks to this:

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

No. Access to banking services will NOT provide legitimacy to prostitutes.

However, the gospel, the word of the cross, that foolish message tells how prostitutes can be reconciled to God.

God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation (Romans 5:8-11).

Jesus speaks of prostitutes in the parable of the two sons:

“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him (Matthew 21:28-32).

Emergent Flowchart

(click chart for larger version)

(HT: Phil Johnson)

The secrets of schizophrenia (and manic depression)

My only exposure to schizophrenia has fortunately been through movies, like Safe House (starring Patrick Stewart) and A Beautiful Mind (starring Russell Crowe), and TV specials. It is a horrific disease that I would wish upon no one. Well, maybe a couple of people.

I'm not a medical doctor or pharmaceutical (I spelled it right on the first try) researcher so my understanding of schizophrenia is very limited but when I do come across information on the subject I find myself interested in learning what little I can.

This morning I stumbled across an article from The Independent (UK) titled Unlocked: the secrets of schizophrenia. The article begins:

Scientists have discovered a remarkable similarity between the genetic faults behind both schizophrenia and manic depression in a breakthrough that is expected to open the way to new treatments for two of the most common mental illnesses, affecting millions of people.

Previously doctors had assumed that the two conditions were quite separate. But new research shows for the first time that both have a common genetic basis that leads people to develop one or other of the two illnesses.

Three different international studies investigated the genetic basis of schizophrenia by pooling their analysis of about 15,000 patients and nearly 50,000 healthy subjects to find that thousands of tiny genetic mutations – known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) – are operating in raising the risk of developing the illness.

Each mutation on its own increased the risk of developing schizophrenia by about 0.2 per cent but collectively they were found to account for at least a third of the total risk of developing schizophrenia. The condition is known to have a strong inherited component, accounting for about 80 per cent of the total risk, but it is also influenced by upbringing and environment.

However, one of the most surprising findings to emerge from the three studies was that the same array of genetic variations in SNPs was also linked with bipolar disorder, a discovery that is at odds with the orthodoxy in psychiatry stating that the two conditions are clinically distinct, the scientists said. The findings are a milestone in the understanding of both schizophrenia and manic depression – also known as bipolar disorder – which could eventually lead to new ways of either preventing or treating conditions that cause untold human misery and cost the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds each year.

If this is a subject of interest to you, I recommend reading the whole article. It's not a medical journal so don't expect to be reading an in depth treatment of the disease but it is rather interesting.

Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez to fill in for Michael Jackson?

Rule of law respected in Honduras but not in the USA

Honduras Defends Its Democracy. So states an article appearing in today's Wall Street Journal on page A11.

In case you missed it, there was a coup in Honduras over the weekend. Their former president, Mel Zelaya, had been acting as though the rule of law doesn't apply to him. He wanted to rewrite the constitution to give him more power like Chávez did in Venezuela. According to the article:

Yesterday the Central American country was being pressured to restore the authoritarian Mr. Zelaya by the likes of Fidel Castro, Daniel Ortega, Hillary Clinton and, of course, Hugo himself. The Organization of American States, having ignored Mr. Zelaya's abuses, also wants him back in power. It will be a miracle if Honduran patriots can hold their ground.

That Mr. Zelaya acted as if he were above the law, there is no doubt. While Honduran law allows for a constitutional rewrite, the power to open that door does not lie with the president. A constituent assembly can only be called through a national referendum approved by its Congress.

But Mr. Zelaya declared the vote on his own and had Mr. Chávez ship him the necessary ballots from Venezuela. The Supreme Court ruled his referendum unconstitutional, and it instructed the military not to carry out the logistics of the vote as it normally would do.

The top military commander, Gen. Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, told the president that he would have to comply. Mr. Zelaya promptly fired him. The Supreme Court ordered him reinstated. Mr. Zelaya refused.

Calculating that some critical mass of Hondurans would take his side, the president decided he would run the referendum himself. So on Thursday he led a mob that broke into the military installation where the ballots from Venezuela were being stored and then had his supporters distribute them in defiance of the Supreme Court's order.

The attorney general had already made clear that the referendum was illegal, and he further announced that he would prosecute anyone involved in carrying it out. Yesterday, Mr. Zelaya was arrested by the military and is now in exile in Costa Rica.

It remains to be seen what Mr. Zelaya's next move will be. It's not surprising that chavistas throughout the region are claiming that he was victim of a military coup. They want to hide the fact that the military was acting on a court order to defend the rule of law and the constitution, and that the Congress asserted itself for that purpose, too.

Honduras is fighting back by strictly following the constitution. The Honduran Congress met in emergency session yesterday and designated its president as the interim executive as stipulated in Honduran law. It also said that presidential elections set for November will go forward. The Supreme Court later said that the military acted on its orders. It also said that when Mr. Zelaya realized that he was going to be prosecuted for his illegal behavior, he agreed to an offer to resign in exchange for safe passage out of the country. Mr. Zelaya denies it.

It is quite telling that Clinton is siding with Castro, Ortega and Chávez rather than the rule of law. She has little to no respect for the U.S. Constitution so it's not surprising she fails to respect the Honduran Constitution. The WSJ article states that by failing to come to the aid of checks and balances Mrs. Clinton has shown her true colors.

Mr. Obama weighed in as well against the Honduran Constitution:

I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter. Any existing tensions and disputes must be resolved peacefully through dialogue free from any outside interference.

Any existing tensions and disputes must be resolved peacefully through dialogue free from any outside interference? Yet our military is still in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sounds a lot like non-peaceful outside interference being injected into existing tensions and disputes.

I mention that only because it reeks of hypocrisy. I support our military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. I wish we would let the military be the military and completely destroy the enemy. However, our politicians and many of our people don't have the stomach for that sort of fighting. They like a sterile environment. Sorry. War is not nice and tidy.

How about the rule of law in the United States? Our president has no regard for it. Nor have several of his previous predecessors. Congress disdains the Constitution as well. The courts have in many cases elevated themselves above the Constitution. What are we to do?

Being a relatively young guy, I have (naively?) thought for years that voting might bring about the change necessary to return us to a constitutional republic. We the People of the United States, at least the freedom loving among us, find ourselves in quite a pickle. We are outnumbered by those who prefer "security" as provided by the government over personal responsibility. Take the healthcare "debate" for example. There is little actual debate taking place. It's no longer a question of IF we should have socialized medicine but what brand of socialized medicine we will end up with. Many people don't even bark at the idea of losing freedom over their own healthcare.

With so many people like that in our country, how do we win elections? Even then, given the proclivity of politicians to trample on the Constitution, we would have to vote out of office about 50% in a given election cycle to effect change. That assumes that all of the newly elected politicians would actually respect the rule of law.

An armed uprising by the people would be futile. Without the support of the military any group of armed citizens would be squashed like ants. I've seen enough episodes of Ultimate Weapons on the Military Channel to know the people would not have a chance.

The only hope for the survival of a free United States is for God to change the hearts of a great majority of our people.

Short of that, I think the United States is doomed.

I have found the recent events in the United States, beginning with Bush's bailout plan, to be most depressing. Truthfully, it probably goes much farther back. As I enjoy joking with my family, I have Libertarian tendencies. Government intrusion really bothers me, especially since I live in what purports to be a free country.

The comforts I enjoy in the United States distract me from my final home. Christian, I am writing to myself, our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20 ESV).

The earth is not my home.

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:13-16 ESV)