N.J. School Reverses 'Silent Night' Ban

With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff
For the story behind the story...

Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2004 10:51 a.m. EST

N.J. School Reverses 'Silent Night' Ban

A New Jersey talk radio host has succeeded in forcing the Egg Harbor Township board of education to reverse its ban on the Christmas classic "Silent Night," which had been dropped from the school district's holiday program based a single parental complaint.

Last night's 7-0 vote by the panel means that "Silent Night" can now be included in this week's Holiday Singalong at the E.H. Slaybaugh Elementary School, where the controversy first erupted.

The complaining parent, an attorney who has not been publicly identified, asked that the holiday carol be dropped from the program, even though songs about other religious holidays, such as "The Dreidel Song" and "Kwanzaa's Here," were included.
The controversy erupted last Wednesday after WOND Atlantic City radio host Jeff Whitaker received a tip about the Christmas music ban.

"I had on the air the lawyer for the school district, Will Donio, who advised them to do away with 'Silent Night,'" Whitaker told NewsMax.

The Atlantic City talker said he was deluged with calls as the controversy percolated through the week, including requests for more information from local pastors.

As a result, "four of five pastors wrote to the local school board," Whitaker said, prompting district officials to rethink the ban.

After Egg Harbor educrats voted to reverse the ruling in a special session on Monday, Whitaker declared victory, posting a message to his Web site crediting his audience with the success.

"The credit in this turn of events goes to the listeners of our radio show, the outrage and stand taken by many of Egg Harbor Township parents and the prayers of people all across the region," he said.

Homeless Man Compacted in Garbage Truck

Homeless Man Compacted in Garbage Truck

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - A homeless man who fell asleep in a commercial trash bin was dumped into the back of a garbage truck Friday and compacted - but escaped serious injury, officials said.

``It's really quite miraculous the guy got out without serious injury,'' said Bryan Weinert, program director for Ann Arbor's solid waste department.

Weinert said there is a large, dull steel blade that pushes the waste against the wall of the truck to maximize space. He said a person could be protected by trash that is hard to compact.

Lt. Scott Robertson of the Ann Arbor fire department said he did not know how much of the compacting process was completed before the man was discovered.

``Just being in the Dumpster and being dumped would have been a heck of a ride, let alone being compacted,'' Robertson told The Ann Arbor News.

He said firefighters got on top of the garbage truck and were able to get the man out.

The man was in a container behind a bar and grill when he was picked up.

Information from: The Ann Arbor News, http://www.mlive.com/aanews

12/17/04 16:39

President Bush Named Time's Person of 2004

President Bush Named Time's Person of 2004

By SAM DOLNICK, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - After winning re-election and "reshaping the rules of politics to fit his 10-gallon-hat leadership style," President George Bush (news - web sites) for the second time was chosen as Time magazine's Person of the Year.

The magazine's editors tapped Bush "for sharpening the debate until the choices bled, for reframing reality to match his design, for gambling his fortunes — and ours — on his faith in the power of leadership."

Time's 2004 Person of the Year package, on newsstands Monday, includes an Oval Office interview with Bush, an interview with his father, former President George H. W. Bush, and a profile of Bush's chief political adviser, Karl Rove.

In an interview with the magazine, Bush attributed his victory over Democratic candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) to his foreign policy and the wars he began in Afghanistan (news - web sites) and Iraq (news - web sites).

"The election was about the use of American influence," Bush said.

After a grueling campaign, Bush remains a polarizing figure in America and around the world, and that's part of the reason he earned the magazine's honor, said Managing Editor Jim Kelly.

"Many, many Americans deeply wish he had not won," Kelly said in a telephone interview. "And yet he did."

In the Time article, Bush said he relishes that some people dislike him.

"I think the natural instinct for most people in the political world is that they want people to like them," Bush said. "On the other hand, I think sometimes I take kind of a delight in who the critics are."

Bush joins six other presidents who have twice won the magazine's top honor: Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower (first as a general), Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan (news - web sites) and Bill Clinton (news - web sites). Franklin Roosevelt holds the record with three nods from the editors.

Kelly said Bush has changed dramatically since he was named Person of the Year in 2000 after the Supreme Court awarded him the presidency.

"He is not the same man," Kelly said. "He's a much more resolute man. He is personally as charming as ever but I think the kind of face he's shown to the American public is one of much, much greater determination."

The magazine gives the honor to the person who had the greatest impact, good or bad, over the year.

Kelly said other candidates included Michael Moore and Mel Gibson, "because in different ways their movies tapped in to deep cultural streams," and political strategist Rove, who is widely credited with engineering Bush's win. Kelly said choosing Rove alone would have taken away from the credit he said Bush deserves.

This is the first time an individual has won the award since 2001, when then-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was celebrated for his response to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

The American soldier earned the honor last year; in 2002, the magazine tapped Coleen Rowley, the FBI (news - web sites) agent who wrote a critical memo on FBI intelligence failures, and Cynthia Cooper and Sherron Watkins, who blew the whistle on scandals at Enron and Worldcom.

Written on 12/16/04

It is not a very good start for me this morning. I broke down and cried right before I left home this morning. With people bringing up the "M" word, my niece due to have her third in February, and people asking me whether or not I am still a temporary have finally caught up to me. I suppose that the tears that rolled down my face have been a long time coming. Each person can only take so much.

As far as work goes, I would not be shocked if I was notified that tomorrow is my last day. Apparently, I did something wrong. The one person that I had been working with on this came over not long after I had arrived. I told her that I had entered was given to the file room personnel. All that I have for a defense is that I am giving it my best effort, trying to keep mistakes to a minimum. I do not claim, nor have I ever said, to be perfect. Right now, I am sitting here doing this while waiting for something to work on. Yes, my confidence is as about as steady as a buoy in the Delaware River.

In regards to the temporary/permanent status, I have absolutely no control over that. Yes, I have been working at the same place for over two years as a temporary, handling various special projects. I have enjoyed my tenure here, doing whatever it is they ask me to do. Changing my status at the temporary would probably not change matters much. (I am omitting the rest of this paragraph that I originally wrote.)

As far as the "M" word goes, even Ashley e-mailed me, saying that it just takes time. To a degree, she is correct. Even Diana Ross and The Supremes sang about it. Besides that, it also requires the opportunity to see if things will work out. It is called a chance! I lost count a long time ago how many times I have come up short, regardless of the effort level on my part. As for my niece, I am sure to get around and voice my Dr. Phil/ Judge Joe Brown-like opinion. I wish not to elaborate on these subjects any further, at this time.
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Update: My niece is having a boy. I just found out on Saturday, 12/18. I will be going back to my assignment on Monday, as usual.

N.J. Airport Security Spot, Lose Fake Bomb

N.J. Airport Security Spot, Lose Fake Bomb

By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press Writer

NEWARK, N.J. - Baggage screeners at Newark Liberty International Airport spotted — and then lost — a fake bomb planted in luggage by a supervisor during a training exercise.

Despite an hours-long search Tuesday night, the bag, containing a fake bomb complete with wires, a detonator and a clock, made it onto an Amsterdam-bound flight. It was recovered by airport security officials in Amsterdam when the flight landed several hours later.

"This really underscores the importance of the TSA's ongoing training exercises," said Ann Davis, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, the agency responsible for screening passengers and baggage for weapons and explosives. "At no time did the bag pose a threat and at no time was anyone in danger."

Earlier this month, French authorities lost a bag containing real explosives that were being used to train bomb-sniffing dogs. That led French authorities to prohibit using live explosives in future tests.

The incident at Newark Liberty International was only the latest embarrassment for screeners at one of the airports from which some of the Sept. 11, 2001 hijackers took off.

In October, The Star-Ledger of Newark reported that screeners missed one in four fake explosives and weapons in secret weekly tests conducted throughout the summer by TSA agents.

In Tuesday night's test, a TSA supervisor secretly placed the bomb, which was designed to resemble the plastic explosive Semtex, inside a bag that was put through screening machines, Davis said.

A baggage screening machine sounded an alarm, but workers somehow lost track of the bag, which was then loaded onto a Continental Airlines flight.

Despite the incident, no flights were delayed and the terminal remained open.

Davis said the TSA is still investigating how screeners lost track of the bag.

"It was an error that the bag was not intercepted before it was loaded," she said, adding it was too soon to say if anyone would be disciplined for the failure.
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Bill's Comment: The fake bomb was found in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, the next day.
Imcompetency at its finest. When is our government going to get serious, and hire people that fit the bill for airport security?

I work in Security at one of my jobs, and trust me when I say this. It is not meant and made for just anybody! The fact that this incident took place at Newark Liberty International Airport is another story in itself. Thank you, "Mayor For Life" Sharpe James, for making New Jersey another butt for jokes.

Would-Be Thief Is Duct-Taped to Pole

Bill's Comment: I wonder if somebody brought this to Glenn Beck's attention? Hats off to the family for thinking fast
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Would-Be Thief Is Duct-Taped to Pole

Tue Dec 14, 1:33 PM ET

GEORGETOWN, Guyana - A would-be thief got a taste of his own medicine in Guyana when he was caught and attached to a utility pole with the same duct tape he intended to use to bound a family and rob them, police said Tuesday.

Sabanah Gravesande, 13, was watching television at her home Monday in the capital of Georgetown when two men entered her family's house and tried to tape her mouth shut, police said.

Neighbors heard her screams as she and her grandmother scuffled with the men, authorities said. Neighbors came to their assistance and caught one of the unidentified men, tying him by the neck to a nearby utility pole with the tape until police arrived and took him away.

His legs and hands were also duct-taped as hundreds of people looked on, some openly guffawing at the spectacle.

Police said they would charge the man later this week, indicating that he was a cocaine abuser trying to raise money to support his addiction.

Guyana, a former British colony in South America, has a population of 700,000.

Taxi Driver Shoots Man in Bin Laden Mask

Taxi Driver Shoots Man in Bin Laden Mask

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) take note: You wouldn't be safe in Costa Rica. A startled taxi driver shot and wounded a jokester wearing a plastic mask of the al-Qaida leader, police said Tuesday.

Leonel Arias, 47, told police he was playing a practical joke by donning the Bin Laden mask, toting his pellet rifle and jumping out to scare drivers on a narrow street in his hometown, Carrizal de Alajuela, about 20 miles north of San Jose.

Arias had startled several drivers that way on Monday afternoon. But when he jumped out in front of taxi driver Juan Pablo Sandoval, the motorist reached for a gun and shot him twice in the stomach. He was hospitalized in stable condition.

"For me and I think for anybody else at a time like that one thinks the worst and so I fired my gun," Sandoval told Channel 7 television.

Police declined to detain Sandoval, saying he had believed he was acting in self-defense.

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Bill's comment: I bet that, if you were to look up the word "moron" in an updated dictionary, you would find a picture of Mr. Arias with the word underneath.

Paris is the City of Blight for culture-shocked Japanese: report

Paris is the City of Blight for culture-shocked Japanese: report

PARIS (AFP) - A strange illness has descended on Japanese living in Paris, tipping many of them in a state of profound culture shock after realising their ideals about the French capital were unrealistic, a study said.

More than a 100 expatriates a year are sinking into a state called "the Paris syndrome" which is characterised by feelings of persecution or suicidal tendencies, according to the mental health facilities of city hospitals, according to a study in the Liberation newspaper said.

Part of their clinical depression stems from having to reconcile their romanticism about Paris with reality, psychiatrists said.

"Magazines are fuelling fantasies with the Japanese, who think there are models everywhere and the women dress entirely in (Louis) Vuitton," Mario Renoux, the head of a French Japanese Society for Medecine was quoted as saying.

After a relatively short period of only three months or so, Japanese immigrants expecting to find a haven of civilisation and elegance instead discover a tougher existence with many problems dealing with the French.

"They make fun of my French and my expressions", "they don't like me" and "I feel ridiculous in front of them" are common refrains heard by the doctors.

The need to forcibly express one's self to be noticed -- seen as vulgar in Japanese society -- and exposure to a humour sometimes seen as offensive adds to the unhappiness.

"However, not wanting to give up their Paris dreams, the patients refuse to go back to Japan," the newspaper noted.

"The phenomenon manifests itself in those who are unable to adapt to France because of the shock resulting from the confrontation between the two cultures," Dr Ota, a Japanese psychologist treating some of the patients at Sainte-Anne Hospital, said.

He and other experts underlined Japan's ideal of collectivism, or putting the group first, as a barrier for some of the immigrants who suddenly find themselves in a Western society based more on individualism.

Many of those feeling victimised by the experience are Japanese women.

"They are, in general, young ladies who have been spoiled and protected. Ill-prepared for Western freedom, they often go off the rails," the head of the French association Young Japan, Bernard Delage, said.

The Japanese consulate in Paris said there were 14,000 Japanese registered as living in Paris, and thousands more unregistered. Most are students, artists, businessman and employees of international companies.

Trying to Lose Weight? Sleep More, Get Dog

Trying to Lose Weight? Sleep More, Get Dog

Wed Nov 17, 7:33 AM ET

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP Medical Writer

LAS VEGAS - Experts have this unconventional advice for dieters: Don't scrimp on sleep and think about getting a dog.

A very large study has found a surprisingly strong link between the amount of shut-eye people get and their risk of becoming obese. Researchers also found that dog owners who dieted alongside their pets did slightly better than their dog-less counterparts.

Both studies were reported this week at a meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity.

The sleep study found that people who got less than four hours of sleep a night were 73 percent more likely to be obese than those who got the recommended seven to nine hours of rest. Those who averaged five hours of sleep had 50 percent greater risk, and those who got six hours had 23 percent more.

"Maybe there's a window of opportunity for helping people sleep more, and maybe that would help their weight," said Dr. Steven Heymsfield of Columbia University and St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York, who did the study with Columbia epidemiologist James Gangwisch.

They used information on about 18,000 adults participating in the federal government's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, or NHANES, throughout the 1980s.

It may seem odd that sleeping more would prevent obesity because people burn fewer calories when they're resting, but they also eat when they're awake. The effect of chronic sleep deprivation on the body's food-seeking circuitry is what specialists think may be making the difference in obesity risks.

"There's growing scientific evidence that there's a link between sleep and the various neural pathways that regulate food intake," Heymsfield said.

Sleep deprivation lowers leptin, a blood protein that suppresses appetite, and raises ghrelin, which does the opposite.

It also hurts "executive function" — the ability to make clear decisions, said Dr. Philip Eichling, a sleep and weight-loss specialist at the University of Arizona who also is medical director of the Canyon Ranch, a spa in Tucson that caters to business executives.

"One of my treatments is to tell them they should move from six hours to seven hours of sleep. When they're less sleepy, they're less hungry," he said.

Meanwhile, Chicago doctors are hoping people consider a "buddy system" for losing weight that includes man's best friend. Two-thirds of Americans and one-fourth of pets overweight or obese, so there's huge potential.

According to the first study to put people and their pets on a simultaneous diet and exercise program, experts found both lost weight and kept it off. Dogs did better than owners, but owners said they had fun, something people rarely say about their diets.

"If you're looking for motivation and social support to lose weight, you probably don't have to look any further than the pet in your own home," said Dr. Robert Kushner of Northwestern Medical School, who did the study with Chicago veterinarian Kimberly Rudloff and Dennis Jewell, a nutrition expert for Hill's Pet Nutrition, which makes Science Diet and a prescription diet dog food used in the study.

They tested three groups: 56 people, 53 dogs, and 36 dogs and their owners. The dogs ranged from pudgy poodles to husky Huskies, and target weights were set by a "doggie BMI" based on age and breed.

People attended weekly counseling sessions at Northwestern on diet and exercise, and were encouraged to walk at least 20 minutes and limit calories to 1,400 a day. Dogs were fed the prescription diet and walked with their owners.

All were followed for one year.

The dog owners did slightly better than the dieters who walked and dieted alone. Overall, people lost an average of 11 pounds, or 5 percent of their body weight, in the first four months and kept it off for the next eight.

Dogs lost an average of 12 pounds — 15 percent of their initial weight. Of course, that's easier to do when someone controls your food dish. But the dogs didn't seem to mind as judged by something any dog owner can understand:

"Begging behavior did not go up," Jewell said.

Owners said their dogs had more pep and were anxious to go outside for walks and play.

Kathleen O'Dekirk, a 51-year-old Chicago lawyer, said that certainly was true for her paunchy Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Winston, who lost seven pounds during the study.

"He bounds up the stairs three and four at a time whereas before he used to just crawl up," she said.

She lost 13 pounds, and it encouraged her so much that she joined a fitness class and now does more strenuous exercise than she'd ever done before.

"I had never been on a diet," she said. "I dropped two pant sizes."

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On the Net:

Science Diet's "pet BMI" calculator: http//www.petfit.com