This is incredibly sad and certainly puts the "problems" of the Keweenaw into perspective:

http://www.time.com/time/asia/news/magazine/0,9754,185954,00.html

Why don't they use cockroaches for the study? Cockroaches have a high tolerance level and should provide the needed results. Or...are results being sought?

Gee, I thought we used prisoners for tests like those.

Here is a novel idea for those interested in earning a little extra Christmas cash: become a paid volunteer to test toxic pesticides! Maybe programs such as this could be part of the solution to getting people off of welfare. (I'm being factitious)


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-000094420nov27.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dnation

By Oh Oh Sibyl, Can You Waltz the Blue Danube-- Here Comes Tycho Magnetic Anomaly 2*—Stay Tuned on Wednesday, November 28, 2001 - 03:11 am:

*In “The Eye of Japetus”, the 35th chapter of Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, Astronaut Bowman(and future StarChild) perceives the narrow end of that mammoth monolith hovering over Saturn’s motley-colored moon Japetus(or Japheth) as an “eye”, a “stargate”-- a “shaft… full of stars”.

His ship then enters the Mine Shaft “EYE” of this orbiting monolith (TMA-2) which is a much larger version of TMA-1 or Tycho Magnetic Anomaly 1 (excavated earlier on Earth’s moon where it was purposively buried by whomever brought it there).

“He’d traveled millions of miles in search of mystery and now, it seemed, the mystery was coming to him”

Hey AGGASEE, what the •••• do you expect for the first year in business. Really only half a year. 12 thousand paying skiers dropped some money somewhere. I would guess that this real first year of ski hill operations will bring about 25000 skiers. I will venture to say that the first hundred or so will be on the mountain this weekend. Open or not. All I have heard from the kids are great reviews. All have said they are sking this year for sure!!! We are lucky that the hill is here.
Who wanted to know about the two resturants that closed? You must not be from here, are you a dumb •••????? That is a question. Here is a way to increase jobs increase logging, increase recreation, increase lodging, start spending my tax dollars to promote winter sports and winter fun. Start to use this land to its fullest. Don't be afraid of progress be afraid of treehuggers with 5 gallon cans of gas!!!! lets get it on seeya

First Jerry Falwell, then Pat Robertson and now(gulp) Paul Harvey?
From a recent radio broadcast:
"Osama bin Laden epitomizes for this generation what we called hippies or flower children in the last generation. These anti-establishment unwashed counterculture rich kids have hijacked Islam for their personal aggrandizement."
Say it ain’t so, Mr. Harvey.
This is exactly the kind of mindless living-in-the-past generational-divisive rhetoric that American doesn’t need. Your honorable vocal cords may have have recovered, Sir, but your brain’s gone boingo.

Paul:
Maybe the first way to save those two defunct area restaurants is to have the new owners pay employee taxes? The IRS does frown on not paying you know. Wonder how many of the ski bums, dined their? saviour my petutie.

It's sad when small businesses can't make it, but convenience in the form of "getting it all in one stop" makes a valid argument for the big-store shoppers. I shop the net for the same reason; convenience. And variety. I use the lttle guys when I need a couple things, but that's not often. Restaurants we always need. The ones that are consistently good are always hopping (look at Quincy's and Ambassador). I don't know which ones closed, but it's survival of the fittest, I guess.

People will travel 30 miles to save 5 cents. I could never understand that. Your time and gas,oil is worth more than that. Support your local business where ever you live. Keep the money in your own neighborhood.
Welcome back Paul.

One other thing--the store near me has a deli, a liquor license, and a gas pump (usually a cent or two cheaper than in town) and stays open late. I think they do a good business catering to the locals, the guys working in the woods and on the roads, as well as the boaters, hunters, and fishermen (and women).

I've Got The Waaambulance Blues,

I shop at the mom & pop store near my home, but usually, only when I don't want to drive into town for just a couple of items. Say I want to buy a can of tuna. Our local store carries only one brand and it's $1.19 a can. A little pricey to feed to the cat but I've been known to buy a can or two in a pinch. Same with boxed cereal. There might be three brands, and most likely not the ones I like to buy. I appreciate having a small store close by and I expect to pay more for the items that I buy there. I'm fussy (kitty isn't) about the food I eat and prefer to buy particular brands--that's why I do my shopping in town (or on the Internet).

But I will say this: there are locals who charge (I don't mean MC and Visa, but rather a file box behind the counter) their groceries at the little m & p store and you won't find that convenience at any large chain store.

Concerning the little stores in the area.....the ones I've seen make a go of it in other areas of the same remoteness offer something such as a small deli or likewise to gain public interest. Anyone can go anywhere to get a coke...but a coke with a great deli-sandwich, where do you go?
How many out there think a deli/store would make it in Eagle Harbor?

It's difficult enough for "Ma and Pa" stores to make a go of it in Houghton County and south. Maybe someone will take up where the other left off.


And:


Attorney General Janet Granholm Sued to Allow Pro-Life Sign
Tue, Nov 20, 2001
(Ann Arbor, MI)—Fifty-seven year old grandmother and pro-life activist Ann Norton has sued Michigan’s Attorney General Jennifer Granholm and Kalamazoo county and city law enforcement officials to prevent police from prosecuting her under a seventy year old state law prohibiting the display of photos of murdered persons.

So a fetus is a murdered person if it is aborted?

Oh yeah...
What two restaurants closed ?? I only know of one...

Your point has been taken, pampered. But how many people do all their shopping at E-cono, Ericksons, Wally World, etc. instead of just buying the items that aren't available at the local mom/pop? Sad but true.

PS:Where's Paul to weigh in on this issue ???
It's always good and entertaining to hear his opinion. Even though I do not agree with all his statements, sometimes he does bring up valid points and he does cause quite a bit of discussion on this page.

I know when I stay out at camp there are small mom & pop stores in the area. I buy groceries from them now and then. I won't run into town for a gallon of milk--no matter how expensive it is. But when I do major shopping or need something as simple as a package of sandpaper, I head into Houghton. For me it's more a matter of a better selection--not because the item is necessarily cheaper. I'll bet many folks from up around Eagle Harbor come into town, gas up, eat their lunch out, hit Wal Mart, K Mart, Econo, Ericksons, whatever. I'd be willing to bet that the owners of the mom & pop stores come into town and do the same themselves. Sort of make a day of it. It's tough for the little guys to compete--sad, but true.

My two cents;
Why did the Eagle Harbor Store close ? A guess would be that like any other small town, it's residents would rather drive 35 miles to the E-CONO store so they can save .35 cents on their gallon of milk. Pretty sad.
Every one has seen it. The little mom/pop stores can't compete.
But, they can if the local residents would support the local business'.
Of course, there is more cost involved, but it is minimal, compared to the cost of not having the store at all. I'm sure Paul would do all his shopping at the Eagle River Store if there was one. Right Paul?
Oh yeah, and Paul....I thought the ski hill was going to be the saviour for all of Keweenaw and it's business'.
Right ?

(C'mon Paul...whatcha gotta say about that ???)

With gas prices down, you'd think more people would be on the road and restaurant business would be up. The latest owners of the Eagle Harbor Store weren't able to make an economic go of it either apparently.
What do you think is causing the recent downturn, Paul?

Paul,
I agree--that does suck! Unfortunately, the country--most likely, the world--is in a recession.

If anyone has any bright ideas--I'd sure be interested in hearing them out.

I suspect there are many businesses that are hurting. At least we still have a beautiful place to live. That's more than a lot of folks have.

Here's something that sucks. Two resturants closing in the same month in the Keweenaw!!! Lets talk about how we are going to save the businesses that remain. No more talk about a few trees or a swamp that really means nothing in general. Lets start talking about getting back some of the two hundred jobs that were lost in the last year. Lets start talking about how great the ski hill is instead of the •••• that it will produce. Two turds don't make a hazard. No more Mr. nice guy. I'm sick of listening about women who should have kept their legs together in the first place, or the wetlands that aren't, or the cry baby •••••••• of the treehuggers. Lets start thinking on how to boost our local business. Its called survival right now. SHOW ME SOME MONEY!!!!!

Yes, it's tragic, tragic, fellow members of Whiners Anonymous, but then if its so important why aren't we posting our various views on issues of import to the Keweenaw on Responsible Opinions?
You know it sits over there, all by itself, with hardly any visitations at all. Some of its occasional posters don't even live in the area year-round and yet they take the time to raise this or that local issue with their real name and an honest heart.
As of this moment I hereby withdraw my membership from the lurking non-participant WA and pledge to become a responsible opinion maker on issues that matter to me and stop whining about those that don't.
There are many ways of perceiving the Keweenaw and they aren't limited to those with atrophied imaginations who don't understand the meaning of the word "rant".

A large reason that posts on this site have little
to do with Keweenaw is because they are posted by
people outside of Keweenaw. Of course, you don't
have to be from Keweenaw to have an opinion about
it, that's been proven over and over again up here
but it's hard to control topics when you are not
local. It's sad because the concept of a Keweenaw
message and issue board is good and needed, but I
know many locals that don't bother with this site
anymore.

Hey there Annie...
Been asking the same question for over a year now.
If you ask me, it's just a waste of precious bandwidth...
Let's keep it to

We blame it on the Borealis, Annie!

MAJOR AURORAL STORM DEVELOPING
A strong interplanetary shock front slammed into the Earth's magnetosphere near 05:56 UTC on 24 November (12:56 am EST). The disturbance was associated with a strong solar flare that occurred on 22 November. It's strength and velocity was underestimated, however. The disturbance arrived earlier than anticipated. A middle latitude auroral activity warning has been issued for this event.

Would "Swimmer", "Feeding upon the Lily", "Took me Four Days....", "Hairy Plotter", "Japheth and...." please tell me what your postings have to do with "Keweenaw Issues"?

By The Swimmer on Saturday, November 24, 2001 - 04:03 am:

Two Posthumous Poems from the Late Joseph Knecht:

Here was the inner meaning, here the key
To poetry, to wisdom, and to science
Magic and erudition in alliance
Opened the door to every mystery
The Dream

We draw upon the iconograhpy
Whose mystery is able to contain
The boundlessness, the storm of all existence
Give chaos form, and hold our lives in rein
The pattern sings like crystal constellations
The Glass Bead Game

---

By Feeding Upon the Lily on Saturday, November 24, 2001 - 02:27 am:

"When you make both one
You will enter the Kingdom of Heaven"
Jesus

Yeah like, too bad dis ain’t good pork-barrel news about dat Highway-41 “Homestake Mine” by Da Hut, eh?

Mix of Physics and Politics May Produce Lab in Mine
By JAMES GLANZA NY Times

A century-old gold mine in the town of Lead, S.D., just a few miles from where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried, would be converted into the world's deepest underground physics laboratory under a bill passed in the Senate last week with the sponsorship of Senator Tom Daschle, the South Dakota Democrat who is the majority leader. The bill awaits action in the House, where it is sponsored by another South Dakota lawmaker, Representative John R. Thune, a Republican. But first it will have to survive criticism from taxpayer groups who call the bill a giveaway, from environmentalists who fear that it will saddle the federal government with millions of dollars in cleanup costs, and from some scientists who wonder whether the laboratory is really needed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/24/science/24NEUT.html

Nick Adams,

Thanks for providing the link to beliefnet.com. I'd never heard of it before but I've just read several well-written and thought-provoking articles.

I DO love the Internet!

Down Under here in Christchurch, everyday is Thanksgiving Day, and New Zealanders do know how to celebrate them.
Just thought you Northern Hemispherers might enjoy the holiday irony of this religious commentary whenever you find the time:

The Pilgrims vs. the Taliban
What we can learn from our Founding Fundamentalists
by Steven Waldman for Belief Net

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/93/story_9355.html

Tell me more,

I personally don't have an issue with the sign--I think it's a good thing that we're reminded that there are fundamentalists (call them the local Taliban, if you wish) in our midst whose agenda is to impose their beliefs on the rest of us.

As for how many women do I know who have had abortions? I know of at least a dozen women who have chose to confide in me. I know there are many, many more out there who haven't. Unfortunately, it isn't a rare procedure.

I believe vasectomies are a medically accepted procedure and although I only know a couple of men (at least who have admitted to me) that they've had one--I didn't send flowers or a card to either of them. I suspect most men who have them don't go around broadcasting it--they probably figure it's none of my business anyway.

I'm not so sure that this is meant to stifle the "anti-Planned Parenthood" message.
No? Then I must be reading the Gazette article incorrectly, as her obnubulating words, "local Taliban" have reduced the opponents to Planned Parenthood to terrorists. And then we read Burack said she will ask the council to re-examine the city sign ordinance in an attempt to come up with something legal that would also prohibit the anti-Planned Parenthood message. You're not sure!

If that is not another instance of a local bureaucrat attempting to stifle free speech, then I suggest some of your previous posts are just as offensive as the sign.


Apparently, many people find this sign offensive... and the reason for that would be?
If abortion is "a medically accepted procedure" as someone posted, why do we not hear our friends and neighbors tell us that so-and-so just had an abortion, send her a card, in the way we hear one of our friends and neighbors has had surgery for an ailment?


What if the Ericksons changed the sign to read "The Pope is a Pig" or how about "Kill the Arabs" or some white supremacy message? But they did not put that message out there! Does "free speech" mean you can say anything, anytime, and anyplace? Wrong question. The question is: Do the opponents of Planned Parenthood have the same rights as we all do to voice their honest opinion on abortion and Planned Parenthood?

It's been said before: If our beloved scientists had found something resembling a fetus on Mars, they would be falling all over themselves telling the world about it, and telling your kids about it in colleges and schools, using the find as a justification, somehow, for the non-existence of God.

Tell me, how many women do you know who have had abortions? Who have had cancer? Heart disease? Strokes?

A step in the right direction for reducing unwanted pregnancies:

http://www.salon.com/mwt/wire/2001/11/20/contraceptive/index.html

SpeedTrap,

You should take a course in logic.

Hey there,,,, If the Words "Planned Parenthood Kills Babies" were not true, there could be a lawsuit. So, the words must be true.

Invest in Muzzles,

I'm not so sure that this is meant to stifle the "anti-Planned Parenthood" message. Apparently, many people find this sign offensive and I think the Council needs to determine what are acceptable community standards. We all know there are limits to free speech.

What if the Ericksons changed the sign to read "The Pope is a Pig" or how about "Kill the Arabs" or some white supremacy message? Is that also protected speech? Does "free speech" mean you can say anything, anytime, and anyplace?

I'll be away from this boards for a few days, so I'd like to wish all you posters and readers, and your families, a happy Thanksgiving! This year, especially, I think we all realize that those of us lucky enough to live in this area have much to be thankful for.

I Think Hancock City Councilwoman Susan Burack's words, "This is the local Taliban restricting women’s rights to choose," are what is offensive. And Instereo's link to some people who either don't believe in God, or can't believe in God, tells me what I've been seeing for some time now--you can say anything you want, as long as you are not a devote Christian who speaks out.

Case in point, the Gazette story says, Burack said she will ask the council to re-examine the city sign ordinance in an attempt to come up with something legal that would also prohibit the anti-Planned Parenthood message.

Say, WHUD? She wants to make it illegal, somehow, to speak out against Planned Parenthood! Quick, before the meeting tonight, someone refresh Burack on the First Amendment.

Assuming other people read the Gazette article, where is the outcry about that!

By Ecce Homo on Wednesday, November 21, 2001 - 01:45 am:

So where's A$$uredly $aved when you really need him?

I guess to be politically and democratically correct you have to call abortion "Strategic Amputation Of All Essential Body Parts". Apparently proponents of PP haven't seen the protestors billboards, either that or they are proud to be making "Baby Quiche".

Then again now...
Is a first term fetus actually a "baby"?
If not, then Planned Parenthood doesn't actually kill "babies".
It pre-empts them.

Well OK, then.
No longer clueless having just visited online DMG.
If the sign is actually on private property then I support it(unless it violates some local ordinance).

For those us out of the loop here:
Where exactly is the sign and what exactly does it say and/or picture?
Maybe Charlie would be good enough post a pic of it on Pasty Cam this week?
And say, speaking of political "irony"(as a column I just read at Keweenaw Now does quite interestingly), I thought that "instereo" provided us all with a fascinating link.
Atheists and Agnostics against Abortion.
Does this mean we can divorce "ethics" from "religion", and if so...what's the point of religion?
Hmmmmmm...

Ted and Scott,

It could well be that the anti-Parenthood sign is too big or encroaches on the ROW. But political speech ordinarily gets more protection than commercial speech, and this sign could raise some interesting legal issues.

An attorney might well argue that a large sign close to the road containing only four words is less of a traffic hazard than would be a smaller sign or a sign set farther back. People can read the current sign instantly, so it doesn't pull their attention away from the road for as long as a smaller sign might. It surely takes much longer to read the partially-obscured official greeting on the wall beneath it.

Ted, isn't it fair to say that not all killing is illegal? Murder is certainly illegal, but the sign-makers didn't use that word.

Let me say again that I totally disagree with what the sign says and I do agree that the sign is offensive. Free speech does have limits, of course, but I can't see that this sign goes over the line. If the sign is truly a safety hazard, why haven't people been working to remove the official greeting from the wall below it?

Scott,
Yah, right. Better not drive through Houghton or Hancock. And while you're being welcomed to Hancock, pay attention to who is turning left, who right.

MDOT Regulates placement of all billboards within their ROW.(Right of way).
And even though this sign is in a so called "private yard", up on a hill, i'm not sure, but i'd betcha a ten spot it's still located within MDOT's ROW.

I'm all for free speech too, but I look at this sign as a traffic hazzard. People trying to read it while driving are not paying attention to the road.

"... because life is all there is and all that matters, and
abortion destroys the life of an innocent human being."

On a lighter side, I'm surprised that Rev. Snyder and his band of followers hasn't tried to picket Harry Potter. They could have posters against Harry Potter on one side of their billboards and Anti PP on the other. Plus as an added bonus, both locations are close to each other.

Maybe we could re-name Sheldon to "Snyder Sign" Street. No, maybe not.

I remember back when Bob Olson was teaching my brothers religion, They came home one day laughing at Bob. After all what else would an 8 year old think when you told him that a Smurf was evil becaues he parcticed magic, those cute little blue things.

Humanist,

The sign ordinance states that all signs must be no larger than 16 square feet or no greater than 25% of a building front (if mounted on a building).

I used to own a store in Hancock and I once tried to "advertise" by with something that was beyond these rules, I had Mike Beaudoin shut me down so fast it made my head spin. I hope in all fairness he does the same in this case.


Also is the message that the sign conveys slanderous to Planed Parenthood, shouldn't they be able to file liable charges?

Whatever your views on abortion are, it is still a medically accepted procedure and it is not illegal. Killing is Illegal. There is a big difference.

???


Ted

Even though I completely disagree with the message of the sign, I think the Ericksons should be allowed to express their opinion. This is the United States and free speech is still a right we enjoy. After all, almost everyone would support their right to post a sign saying "U.S. Bombs Kill Babies". So how is this any different?

Oops. I see by the DMG that Hancock didn't put the sign up.

Looks like a profitable site for a huge commercial sign. Hope Hancock is getting their money out of it.

Concerning the DMG article about the Planned Parenthood oppostion sign in Hancock;

It is an illegally placed billboard along a Michigan State Highway. It should be removed.
Pretty simple.

The Lord helps those who help themselves. Verily He wisheth His flock to help themselves to the generous bounty He hath provided. For the faint of heart who fear that the acceptance of His precious gifts might bring forth famine and pestilence in the ages to come, remember and heed His words: Take no thought for the morrow...

Assuredly Saved:
One man's "blessed bounty" is another man's hunk of junk.

"Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the Kingdom of God." etc etc
Gospel of Luke(6:20)

"But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation." etc etc
Gospel of Luke(6:24)

from The Beatitudes of Jesus

O Ye of little faith! Thinkest thou that He who created this bounty desireth us to partake not? Fear not! For He knoweth all things and bestoweth many blessings upon all those who uphold His Name. To reject His bounty is indeed to reject His Sacrifice!

Bottom Line,

How right you are.

Unfortunately, when all the crap we consume wears out, it has to go someplace. Bad news for the environment but good news for Michigan landfill operators.

That Michigan is fast becoming the premier dumping ground for out-of-state and out-of-country trash--you can thank Govenor Engler!

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf?/news/stories/20011115l1118luke.frm

Crux of the long-term global problem?
Long story short: too many people consuming too much crap.
Is human nature causing this or “The System”.
Turn on a computer or a TV, drive down the road, what do you see? Propaganda messages trying to sell you this or that and all in mutual support of a system who purpose is to sell us more and more of this and that? Imprint any mind with this cluttered routine long enough and what do you get?
Too many people consuming too much crap.
I’m outta here…
Loved the Leonids, though. Thanks Cosmo!

Charles Buck,

I sure hope we all work together to make sure that the Keweenaw folks in 2099 get to see the show. I hope the skies then are clear and dark, as they were this time. It's pretty rare for all the conditions to be right for such a spectacular display. Only a couple of times in my lifetime before this have I been able to witness such an awesome meteor shower. And the night was warm also! I'll never forget it, and neither will my wife and kids. Let's make sure that we don't spoil this for future generations.

Elmer,

By "organized opposition" I mean a group of people actively working together to oppose something. In the case of the ski hill, I'm sure that some folks still don't like the fact that the ski hill is there, but if they're not doing anything specifically to close it, I don't consider those folks to be part of an organized opposition to the ski hill. You are correct that I don't know for a fact that there is no organized opposition to the ski hill now--I just haven't heard of any, nor have I seen any evidence of any, since the vote. That's why I'm interested in any information you may have about that.

Elmer, I don't expect Black Bear to be a bad tenant at all. As a matter of fact, I expect the opposite, particularly with all the public scrutiny of this business. As I mentioned before, I did not oppose the ski hill myself.

The neglect of the existing old septic systems, though, shows what can happen when no attention is given to a particular environmental issue. My "guess" as to what is happening with some of those old systems is the same as yours, and I don't like it either. I have seen the DEQ investigate, though, when they are directed to a site that appears unsafe.

The conclusion I draw from all this is that we should be paying attention to make sure this kind of thing doesn't keep happening. If we don't, our great-grandchildren will be in the same boat as we are in now. But if we make sure that new systems are properly installed and properly maintained, and gradually replace the old systems, we can eventually work out of this.

Why do you say I think Thailand is such an animal Elmer? Did I say that?

I live and work here and I love it. I think it is great seeing elephants walking down the street with little flashing red lights on their tails at night. I guess that is how they got the term "tail lights" hehe. Yes, people still do drive elephants here, even in Bangkok.

Humanist,
The meteor shower escaped the notice of most people in the country because most of the country on a clear night is starless. News coverage of these types of events becomes more and more quixotic as time goes by. People jump up from their television to look up at the sky only to see a milky haze instead of the Milky Way. By 2099, the time the next big meteor shower is suppose to arrive, will even the Keweenaw wonder what a shooting star is?

Elmer if you can't figure out what "third world" means then i don't know what else to tell you. But if you lived in one you would know it. Obviously you have never had that chance so you will just keep grilling me with decisive definitions of something that truly cannot be defined, but the concept is understood by most people over the age of ten.

I think most people know what third world means. You live in America and you don't know what third world means...then my poor man, you have led a sheltered life.

Shayne,
What exactly is a "third world"? And why do you think Thailand is such an animal? I'm curious to know the parameters of your definition of the term.

(Had a 4-pt. buck in my crosshairs today. It took a while for me to realize it was a buck looking back at me at the other end of the trail.
When I saw the 8-pointer, I didn't need to put the scope on him to know he was big.)

Humanist,
Please define "organized". Is opposition somehow different if it is defined as "organized". How do you know there is not an "organized" oppostion to Blackbear?

Where is the system being placed? Was there another site initially, and the one reported is an alternative site? Was there opposition to that site? And you write, "Also, you allude to cases in the past where, perhaps, citizens of the Keweenaw lacked the means or the inclination to prevent wholesale damage to the environment.
I don't know how you reached this belief.

I will say this: How many businesses care for septic systems in the area? Two? Three if you count Baraga County? How long have many systems been on-line? Longer than I have been alive? Yes.
How often have they been maintained? Some have never been attended to. Some (if not many) are hidden from view, would take some investigation to find to attend to. Being hidden, unknown, and unlocated, would you hazard a guess that the systems are doing what they should be doing?

How do you know? Okay, so now let's point the finger at Blackbear. And we are going to assume Blackbear is not going to be a good tenant?

Sawat-dii khrap.

I do have one question...will the Mount Bohemia Ski hill crappers be "sqatty potties" or full blown American turbo flushers?

I sure do miss a good ol' American flusher! And I hope they provide toilet paper too. Many of the public restrooms in Thailand have no toilet paper and rarely a flush toilet. A "squattie pottie", tub of water and a bowl is all you get....you figure out the rest.
Anyone care to shake my hand when i get back?????

On the lighter side most hotels will have a regular flusher plus this neat little spraying utensil like we all have in our kitchen sink back in the UP for cleaning up the undercarriage.

Also there is no such thing as soap in most publicbathrooms nor anything to wipe your hands dry with.

Oh yeah, and the raw sewage flows in tunnels with expanded metal grating just under or along sidewalks so you always get the lovely aroma of crap at a temperature of around 85 Degrees tantalizing your olfactory lobes. But you get used to it.

Of course it is a well known fact that "evil spirits" are the leading cause of gastro-intestinal problems here.

Thank Buddha for all those hot little chilies or we'd all be squirting diahrea everywhere! They seem to kill most of what will ail you. Mai Pen Lai. Ohy!

now...anyone got any deer hunting stories???

i'd sure like to hear some...

Elmer...my use of the "third world" is not racist...I live in Thailand and it is a third world country. I have that right to make that statement since it is entirely true. Why do people always bring racism into everything...Heck we might as well call the black bear septic system a "racist endeavor" now.

The ignorant "educated" folks always hide behind the racist ploy and I am sick of that crap. Well then I guess everyone is a racist.

As long as you have choices in life you will discriminate between those choices, discrimination is racism, so when you choose a Big Mac over a Whopper you are a racist.


I just hope there is snow at Bohemia when I come home for a visit so I can have some fun...I hope to use the toilet too.

That was a great meteor shower last night! I hope you all got to see it!

Elmer,

I am not aware of any organized opposition to Black Bear since last year's election. If you know of any, why not tell us about it? Perhaps you could write a guest column on the subject in KeweenawNow. I'd be interested in knowing about it, and so would many other people.

Probably some of the folks who were on the losing side last year still aren't real happy about the loss, but that doesn't translate into organized opposition in my book. From what I can see, folks in the area seem to be making sure that Black Bear follows regulations properly to minimize any damage caused by the ski hill and its customers (and I include myself among those customers). The Black Bear folks are experienced business people, they have known about the DEQ requirements all along, and they have factored the need to meet those requirements into their business plan. It appears that Black Bear has used the public input to craft a sewage disposal plan that will minimize damage to the area. In short, the system seems to be working pretty well for all of us.

You also mention some "delays" that I am not aware of. The approval process requires more than just a rubber stamp of a developer's plans, the Black Bear people understood that going in, and they allowed for it. As you may know, Black Bear spent some time this year in an understandable effort to convince local officials to share costs and risks. Black Bear had to wait for the results of those efforts before pushing ahead full steam with the current plan. Hence the tightness of the current schedule. But I don't know of any foot-dragging by anyone involved in this--it seems to me that things have been moving rapidly all along. If you have any information to the contrary, I (and a bunch of other folks) would like to know about it. What "delays" specifically are you referring to?

Also, you allude to cases in the past where, perhaps, citizens of the Keweenaw lacked the means or the inclination to prevent wholesale damage to the environment. Do you mean to suggest that those who live in the Keweenaw today must continue the errors of the past? And if you know of older systems in place that threaten us and our neighbors with cancer and other diseases, why not be a good citizen and report that fact to the owner and/or the DEQ?

By KING COSMO--HERALD OF OUR GLOBAL POST-DYSTOPIA PARADISE--From a Qubic Kaaba ChockFull O’Clowns on Sunday, November 18, 2001 - 04:09 am:

Like bright copper nuggets it falls…
In Romantic Black-Out Remembrance of November 9, 1965, how’s this for a Late Night Lion-Roaring Meteorological Shower?

READY OR NOT HERE WE COME!

I was was able to capture this story before
Michele Anderson got it.

HUNTER SHOOTS DEER WITHOUT HUNTING LICENSE

HELLTOWN- Chicago native Larry Sims, a plumber
and part time Amway salesman, shot a five point
buck near Wyoming City, Friday, Nov. 16 and around
9:00 am. After Mr. Sims carried the deer to his
truck, his brother Chris Sims, a doormat saleman
noticed that Larry Sims did not have his license
on his back. Chris explained, "I looked and
didn't see a license on his back." Larry was
concerned and investigated the matter. The
license was found hanging on a tree branch. "I
must of snagged it when I rubbed against the
tree." Larry confessed. "That would mean that I
didn't have it on my back when I shot the buck."
Uno Harvey, a Keweenaw native, was at the scene
during the incident. "I was at the scene" Uno
proclaimed, "It was some buck, but I usually don't
shoot at anything under seven points." Keweenaw
Sheriff Lahti, the DNR, Lonnie Glieberman, Gary
Kohs, Donald Rumsfield and Michael Jordan were
unavailable for comment.

By Hairy Plotter or Hey What’s Wrong with Good Graphics on Sunday, November 18, 2001 - 12:54 am:

Hi there Young Deer on the Mountain of Spices(“Take Eat: this is my Body?” Yeah Yeah I get your Celtic Cernunnos and Neo-Christian Vision of St. Eustace eucharistic double-entendre!), so say then, speaking of that curious antlered figure from the ancient Danish Gundestrap Cauldron you posted on November 15th along with the Gospel of Mark 16:18 verse “They shall take up serpents” beneath it, how’s this for a “snake being let down” ala Aaron’s Rod or Harry Potter’s wizard-wand(“UP!”) and from High Heaven no less?

Mentis Apollineae vis has movet undique Musas
(“The Energy of the Apollonian Mind sets these Muses everywhere in motion”)

I copped this Neoplatonic diagram called Music of the Spheres from Practica Musice. Part music theory-part mythology-part astronomy, it was published by Franchinus Gafurius in Milan just four years after Columbus “discovered” America(and his-truly copped it from Cicero’s Dream of Scipio who in turn copped it from some even older Greek Stoic text sometime before that great Roman orator and philosopher was put to death on Marc Antony’s order in 43 B.C. as an enemy of Octavian who soon became Augustus Caesar).

Anyway, here’s an ever-evolving UP-dated look upon Japheth’s Legacy: The Lost Theology of the West for anyone who really cares:

In cool-headed response to that agit-prop Anti-American Qatr(pronounced “Gutter” heh heh) Journalism from Doha spewed daily by Al-Jazeera(“The Peninsula”), this is your foreign-affairs reporter Al(phonse) Jazzirra of El Keweenaw(“Da Peninsula”) here on remote location somewhere in the mountains southwest of Kabul! Just think fondly of me as a hastily hired Press Agent for those Absolute Rulers of the Known Universe(from a recent AR post).
First off, mucho thanks to Senorita Bush on her excellent Radio Address today! Women Rule(well…not all that much less than mostly anyways)!
And here’s to you JK Rowling(witchcraft, smitchcraft!) for getting a new generation of kids to read again—and to you parents with both young(and young-adult) kids out there I highly recommend reading sections of this recent George Will editorial(though Sir George’s silly last paragraph is just plain fashion-dandy, clothes have never made the man and I’ll take that one to the Universal Bank of Intelligent Spirituality with a confident deposit). Becoming a true adult man is inseparable from re-discovering what it once meant to be generous good-hearted playful boy(thereby dispatching one’s otherwise obsessive eternally-adolescent psyche), George, and if you’ve forgotten that then you’ve been seriously steering exclusively starboard for far far too long. Let go of that stern rudder, friend, and come visit the buoyant bow once in awhile. We won’t lose our way!

Anyway, here’s a short excerpt from Sir St. George’s current Harry Potter vs the X-Box column worth gandering:

Microsoft, whose stock is one of America's most heavily traded, is wagering billions -- half a billion just to market Xbox -- not only on the billions that boys have burning holes in their pockets, but also on the childishness that is increasing in society. Last week a Wall Street Journal story on the video game competition began with this arresting paragraph:
"Lee Godfrey has never even played the Xbox, but the eighth-grader says he will beat the Christmas rush and plunk down $299 after Microsoft's new video-game console goes on sale next week. 'I heard that it has good graphics and it has a DVD player. Some of the games it has are cool,' says the 13-year-old from San Lorenzo, Calif."
Young Godfrey, with his rootin'-tootin' American disdain for the deferral of gratification, is supposedly typical of the target market for video games -- adolescent boys. But there are millions of post-adolescent -- indeed middle-aged -- boys out there.

http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38016-2001Nov15.html

ps: Great Stuff Elmer!

Sorry folks:

I didn't mean to stir up a pot of controversy.

I was always brought up to ask questions when I didn't understand or know something. I have learned a lot of little things about a lot of different things that you will never learn in school.

For that matter, why should Blackbear's septic be an issue at all, if we are to hear nothing about the other septic in the area. Why shouldn't it be? For one, it will be new. One expects it will be maintained, especially with the Big Brother Eyeball watching them.

On the other hand, the septic that has been on hand now ad infinitum, and hasn't been maintained, why do we hear nothing about that, huh? Fair? Give me a break.

Why is what Blackbear doing any different than what every other Tom Dick and Harry has done in the Keweenaw since man first stepped foot there?
Is it somehow different for the other because...because why? Tell me. I want to know. Why is it different?

So every Tom Dick and Harry who all desire to be the last man in Paradise can come in, without notice, and be true to the Keweenaw, develop their own piece of Paradise, ad infinitum, until we have many thousands of Tom Dicks and Harrys, and they all can get together and complain if something larger than an individual comes to town?

The hypocrisy is out-of-this-world.

Okay, so now let's talk about wetlands.

Pampered and all,
I thought Michele's reporting on the Blackbear sewage permit and whatnot was okay. Just that, okay. What I would like to hear is why has there been delays, who exactly is opposing Blackbear (I believe we had some sort of in-depth analysis of who is opposing, why they are opposing it, etc. of Planned Parenthood.) It is only fair that Michele, if she wants to maintain any kind of credibility, that she also report on those who have done all that they can do to oppose Blackbear, just as the opponents of Planned Parenthood have received the attention various parties believed they should receive.

Until then, fairness is in the mind of the beholder.

Shayne,
Your use of the expression third world is racist, big-gutted, and more. Who exactly is the third world? India? Africa?

India's culture has been around much longer than ours has been. In fact, I believe ole Columbus sailed the ocean blue, in 1492, to find a passage to India.

I realize that for our culture to survive, everyone else except for those in cave #119, are oxy-morons, who have no value save to compare to our own elaborate cave....and hey, look what a liberal arts education can do for you....on top of that.....I believe I am an advanced state of evolution.....somebody, stop me.

P.S. 51 pounds of hamburger (at least), steaks, loin, some hefty neck roasts. The frig is full.

Elmer:

Thank you for the answer to my question.

Idiots and Shayne:

I was not and am not bashing Black Bear or anyone else. I don't even know who they are. Heck, I'm not a skier or a builder, I'm not even from the area and I don't have an opion on either side. I'm just trying to get educated and be as smart as some of you.

Thanks again Elmer.

Idiots,

Your comment about the KeweenawNow article about Black Bear's septic system surprised me. When I first read Michele's article, it struck me how fair, accurate, and impartial that article was. Her article did not bash Black Bear at all.

---

Quote:

Conroy said the fact that Black Bear (the applicant for the permit) is already constructing the septic system could potentially be an enforcement issue but he didn't intend to make it one at this time. He added he expects the permit could be ready by Friday, Nov. 16, depending on Surface Water Quality's decision on a phosphorous limit and U.P. Engineers and Architects' and Black Bear's response to the permit conditions.

---

---

Quote:

Conroy noted on Nov. 13 that he understood the developer was trying to take advantage of weather to get the system built before the end of the construction season, but that Black Bear was doing this at their own risk.

---

---

Quote:

"I do believe they made a good-faith effort to avoid it," he said. "It could be worse. They did avoid the area where we found significant artifacts. They did it purposefully; they designed their pipelines to avoid the site."

---

I am really getting tired of all the idiots,
arguing against Bohemia based on the stupid
articles of Keweenawtoday and Keweenawnow.
Everyone is looking at Blackbear like they are
breaking every law they can just to allow people
to ski. How can they do that if everyone from the
district attorney to the south shore fools are
knocking each other down to try and stop things?
There hasn't been a single development in the last
150 yrs. of Keweenaw that has come under more
watch

Bill,
It has never been unheard of for anyone in this area to begin building without the requisite permission from a tax-funded bureaucrat. Such building happens all of the time, as the Building Department can attest to that. Please, call them, at 482-2260.

I am waiting for someone to come on-line and tell us about their firsthand experience in obtaining permission for a septic system in either Houghton or Keweenaw Counties, preferrably someone that had been denied in the past, perhaps more than once, but who ultimately was given permission. Hearing that, the attention that BlackBear is given would be easier to digest. Presently, I believe that anything BlackBear does will continue to be held under a microscope and I hazard a guess that they will continue to have to fight, tooth and nail (claw?), to accomplish their goal.

Is there any difference, really, between a system that has really never been tested or inspected concerning code (many of the systems on-line before we became more aware of what our poop does), and the systems being installed today.
We've heard from one that the site is a potential wetland. Well hey, how's about we look at the rest of the Keweenaw, patner.

Regards,
Elmer

P.S. I crossed paths with a 233 lb. 8-pointer. I saw him before he saw me.

pampered, So the king has nine wives, and also two fiancees! Guess he'd better not move to Utah!

Some people are making claims that Black Bear is building a sewage system and buildings without appropriate permits.

I have always been under the impression that all building or construction projects must meet certain codes and that applicable permits must be obtained prior to the begining of any construction. Failure to complying with these rules can result in serious fines.

Can someone tell me if my understanding is incorrect or if there are different proceedures in your local area.

Thank You and happy hunting

Good Lord, the stuff one can find on the Internet....

http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=866629

SpeedTrap,
I don't believe I'm oppressed at all. On the contrary, I have enough money where I can access reproductive services regardless of any laws or restrictions imposed to "discourage" me.

I just find the sudden outpouring of concern for the women of Afghanistan rather amusing. The atrocities against Afghan women have been happening for years--and our government has been fully aware of the situation. Now all of a sudden it's appalling. Where was everyone on September 10th?

Pampered: You have to be the most oppressed woman in the world or think you are. I hope some day women have their equal rights all over the world and then use them and not necessarily to kill babies in their own wombs. Hope they will be more intelligent and use birth control or "No" to control their own bodies. We would not need Planned Parenthood to divide families and hearts when everyone is thus educated.

I was not aware that a commercial or residential septic system could be put anywhere because there is no zoning to govern them. That is according to John Sullivan of U.P. Engineering, as he has put septic systems anywhere and everywhere and no zoning to stop. I am, of course, discussing the Mt. Bohemia Septic System, which is being put close to Sand Point Rd. and cottages and the lake. They (DEQ) assure the people that it will be closely monitored (by the owner-Black Bear) and reported accordingly. A new "yurt" has been constructed to accommodate the patrons and the "yurt" village is completed. It would have been nice to have a lodge, but why would Mr. Glieberman want to spend any more money then what he has to--it is only the Keweenaw and we need the money. Test-flow water wells have been installed in Bete Gris South, can development be far behind. The people speak in opposition to the development that will change a beautiful landscape, but does anyone care. Take a ride, see your beautiful Keweenaw before it changes.

I'll believe it when I see it....but, it's a start in the right direction.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37607-2001Nov15.html

This explains it...



OUCH !!!

Overhaul airline security !!

Federalize the workers. !!!

Any thoughts, Keweenaw Issues people ??

By Snoopy surveys some of the imponderables posed below on Thursday, November 15, 2001 - 06:01 pm:

Absolute,

Jennifer Seymour Whitaker addresses this issue in today's Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31710-2001Nov14.html

I also find it very disconcertng that our government has consistently chosen to turn a blind eye to human rights/women's rights violations in many places in the world (particularly when they "threaten" US economic interests) and I have little reason to believe that our "leaders" will step up to the plate now.

Attention President Bush:
We/Me support no new Afghanistan Government that giveth not equal political power to both Women and Men!

By Sibyl and Japheth on Thursday, November 15, 2001 - 02:29 am:

SSSHHH NOW don’t’cha know now Daisy Daisy Do?
All along it’s been A BiCycle Built For Two!



THUS SPAKE ZORRO’S THRUSTER

---

By Young Deer on the Mountain of Spices on Thursday, November 15, 2001 - 01:54 am:

If from Shem descended Jesus and from Ham descended Mohammed, then what Western Prophet of God descended from Japheth, the 3rd and youngest son of Noah?

“They shall take up serpents”
Gospel of Mark16:18

I recently read Ken Kesey's obituary and learned that he buried Zed, a son of his who died in a car accident in 1984, in his own backyard.
This is another manifestation of that kind of personal grieving and solace issue which I believe many Americans are striving to gain more control over.
It too focuses in on people coping with experiences of family "death" like abortion and euthanasia.
Who should control the rituals associated with these extremely personal issues, the individual family or the State?

PETA- People Eating Tasty Animals.....I like it!

I'm concerned that Black Bear may be communists.
Have they taken an oath? Do they Pledge Allegiance to the Flag each morning? Have they filed their five-year plan, or not? and if not, why pray tell, why not!

Last month, a poster wrote:Having said that, what will we accomplish by bombing Kabul neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, senior citizen centers, Red Cross warehouses? What kind of suffering and hunger will this winter bring in Afghanistan.

The writer assumed to believe what was portrayed in the media regarding various bombing activities, some admittedly mistakes, while willfully ignoring other objectives of the war on terrorism. The writer assumed that we would fail in our objectives and that the people of Afghanistan would suffer this winter.

I'm sure we have all heard about the Taliban committing to a rope-a-dope strategy, hoping that we learned the lesson that Foreman taught us, and that we would stop pounding them. And we have seen the people of Kabul rejoicing, shaving their beards, listening to music (even!). And I'd hazard to suggest that the threat of starvation will be dealt with easier now, as well.

Was there anyone that hypothesized elections in Afghanistan, rather than starvation? Recall Japan? Germany? Maybe we can do something right and the peoples of the world controlled by dictators can continue to hate us.

i have camp fever!!!

tomorrow is another victory day for PETA (people eating tasty animals) just wish i was there to join in the fun....rats

November 15th...judgement day in the UP!!!

They just passed a law in Kentucky where if Husband and Wife get a divorce they are still legally, brother and sister...

pampered, Yes, that's disgusting. Executives who could hardly go wrong during the boom years of the nineties gorged themselves on increased salaries and benefits. Now that harder times have exposed the idiots for what they are, they are rewarded once again. And, of course, these are the very guys that Bush has rewarded with obscene tax cuts.

not surprised, I'm not surprised either. Because a precedent has already been set, Black Bear knows that the rules don't apply to them. Wasn't that what the vote was about last year?

Why should it surprise anyone Black Bear is going ahead with their waste disposal system without all the permits in place. They have been doing this along. Now that the yurts are going to be permanent, have they or are they going to pay building permit fees. Have they had inspections?
Do they comply with building and construction codes? Come on people, supporters and non-supporters of Black Bear, don't they need to follow the rules just like the rest of us?

Something interesting I just ran across:

http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0146/friedman.php

Space puppy,
Sure you're not exaggerating? (No I'm not related.)

Why is it that all the relatives of the Keweeenaw Co. Sheriffs Dept can do what they want.

Granola,

As you probably know, four western state constitutions, including that of Utah, forbid polygamy. When applying for statehood, those states acceded to congressional pressure to insert those clauses. Although Justice Scalia suggested in 1996 that the anti-polygamy clauses are unconstitutional, the clauses are still in effect today. Despite the anti-polygamy clauses, there are many long-term group marriages of all sizes and combinations that receive no hassles from the law--these groups just don't try to get marriage licenses from the state.

However, your polygamy example deals with what sorts of things one may be permitted to do on the grounds that one's religion requires it. A person could attempt to justify any crime on religious grounds (sacrificing a virgin, refusing to obtain medical care for a sick child, etc.), but like every other right, the ability to practice religion has limits. A while back, some prisoners demanded steak every day on the grounds that their religion required it. Needless to say, that ploy was not acceptable.

However, my point was a different one. I'm not arguing that anti-abortionists and other religious types should be prevented from following their beliefs. If these people don't believe in abortion or birth control or eating pork, then they should not have to have abortions or use birth control or eat pork. What I object to is the attempt by these people to force others to abide by beliefs they disagree with. Surely it's fair to say by this time that every pro-choice adult has listened carefully to the arguments of the anti-abortion crowd, has seen the flaws in those arguments, and has rejected those arguments. Why should anyone be forced by law to adhere to religious beliefs that one has determined to be utterly and completely mistaken? Luckily for us in the United States, our founding fathers understood this and provided us with legal protections.

Fortunately, our amended constitution prohibits the enactment of such laws, even when those laws are desired by a majority of the population.
I guess that's why adultery is illegal in Massachusetts.

You can practice your beliefs without interference. I guess that's why that dude from Utah (?) was recently brought to trial for bigamy.

Under our constitution, you can proclaim your religious views without fear, and others can advance different ideas. But you run the risk of being called, ohmygosh, a fundamentalist, a right winger even, of being a right-winger if you happen to be "pro-marriage".

I am completely free to speak my piece. Just like the lady who expressed her belief that the divorce rate in the Bible Belt and an excess of piety is an amusing correlation.

Polygamy comes to mind.

Time was, certain people believed that a man could have more than one wife. I don't believe that is the mainstream anymore. I don't know if there are laws against polygamy, but I hazard to suggest there are such laws.

Humanist,
If such laws exist, was that not an attempt to legislate the beliefs of the many upon the whole?

Most Christians who have any concept of what God has told them through the prophets and the Apostles, believe that homosexuality (among other sins) is wrong. But there are many in this world who would legislate against that idea, there are many who are considering making it a hate crime to speak out against homosexuality.

Is not that, Humanist, an attempt to legislate beliefs?

Thoughtful,

One of the founding principles of the United States was religious freedom. Many people left Europe to come to the new lands to escape the oppression of laws based on religious beliefs. Every time a United States citizen works to turn his or her religious beliefs into law, that person tramples on everyone else's freedom and shows total disregard for our way of life. Fortunately, our amended constitution prohibits the enactment of such laws, even when those laws are desired by a majority of the population. For that we owe our founding fathers, particularly Jefferson and Madison, a huge debt of gratitude.

Under our constitution, you can proclaim your religious views without fear, and others can advance different ideas. You can practice your beliefs without interference. Even though I believe it to be totally irresponsible, even reprehensible, to produce a large family these days--and I do believe that--I would never try to get a law passed to force others to adhere to my belief. The United States is not China. However, I am completely free to speak my piece in order to convince others to restrict their procreation to less harmful numbers.

You, too, have the same right to convince others not to engage in behavior that you disagree with. But, should your arguments fail, please don't trample on the rights of those who disagree with you by attempting to legislate your beliefs. Our country should continue to be a refuge from the oppression caused by laws that enforce particular religious beliefs.

Earlier this month, on the responsible board, John Griffith said:

"Protestors, I respect your beliefs, but they aren't necessarily mine, and your attempt to legislate your beliefs tramples our hard won freedom."

John - have you ever considered that all legislation is the result of American citizens legislating their beliefs ? Every bill voted into law begins with premises reflecting the beliefs of the bill's writer(s).

Shouldn't you instead welcome the attempts of the protestors to legislate their beliefs? Aren't you really speaking against the use of force and violence to promote a point of view? Legislation is the peaceful alternative to revolution. The legislative process must be available to all, regardless of the label the media gives them: from conservative, right-wing Christians to liberal athiest communists.

John - Please tell us you didn't mean to restrict your fellow citizens from access to legislate their beliefs. Wouldn't that be the ultimate in "trampling on our hard won freedom?"

By Workin' in the Nowhere Mine on Monday, November 12, 2001 - 01:44 am:

God's Peace, Chief!

---

By Japheth on Monday, November 12, 2001 - 01:12 am:

Blue-Orange Clue Two:

FYI,

For anyone who is interested, MTU (and the explosive devices found on campus last week) is cited in this article about radical animal rights groups in today's New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/11/national/11SABO.html

By Here Comes the Trout that Must be Caught with Tickling on Saturday, November 10, 2001 - 10:38 pm:

From Three Casts into Twelfth Night

Shakespeare on Deer Hunting

Curio. Will you go hunt, my lord?
Orsino(Duke of Illyria). What, Curio?
Curio. The hart.
Orsino. Why, so I do, the noblest that I have;
O, when mine eyes did see Olivia first,
Methought she purg’d the air of pestilence;
That instant was I turn’d into a hart;
And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds,
E’er since pursue me.

Shakespeare on Scarfing Down Quarter-Pounders

Sir Andrew Ague-cheek. Methinks sometimes I have no more wit
Than a Christian or an ordinary man has;
But I am a great eater of beef, and, I believe,
That does great harm to my wit.

Shakespeare on When “Life” Begins

Sebastian. A spirit I am indeed:
But am in that dimension grossly clad,
Which from the womb I did participate.

First the cheery news:

Now that the Northern Alliance has taken Mazar-i-Sharif with American air support, the international relief community will be able to truck in food supplies for those 6 million Afghans threatened with starvation(a large proportion of whom live in the rural areas south and west of Mazar-i-Sharif).

Now the scary news(if true):

November 10, 2001 NY Times
AL QAEDA
Bin Laden Has Nuclear Arms, He Tells Paper
By TIM WEINER
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Saturday, Nov. 10 — A leading Pakistani newspaper published an interview with Osama bin Laden today in which he said, "We have chemical and nuclear weapons as a deterrent and if America used them against us, we reserve the right to use them."
The interview was published in the English-language daily Dawn. The newspaper said the interview was conducted on the night of Nov. 7 at "an undisclosed location near Kabul."
The correspondent, Hamid Mir, wrote that he had been taken blindfolded in a jeep from Kabul on Wednesday night, "to a place where it was extremely cold and one could hear the sound of anti-aircraft guns firing away," and that Mr. bin Laden arrived with about a dozen bodyguards.

Click below for rest of story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/10/international/asia/10OSAM.html

woohoo!!!!!!! coming back home for a visit soon... weeeeeeeeeeeee I love the UP!

Just found this board today of pasty.com web page.

interesting

Morning all,

Here's a link for news stories that are often hidden (or non-existent) on the mainstream news sites:

http://www.drudgereport.com/

Youth,

Thanks for the link to the piece about Judge Jones' common-sense decision in the Oregon case. The people of Oregon twice passed the assisted suicide law after much public and private debate and soul-searching. People of all faiths joined in its passage. The law completely protects those who do not believe in suicide--only competent individuals with less than six months to live can request the assisted suicide option.

Now it appears that Mr. Ashcroft wishes to overturn the decision of the people of Oregon because his beliefs, and the beliefs of a particular voting bloc that his party wishes to appease, run counter to the beliefs of the people of Oregon. In my opinion, Mr. Ashcroft's action is an egregious misuse of federal authority, and it bolsters the arguments of those who opposed Mr. Ashcroft's appointment to the office of Attorney General of the U.S.

When you think about it (as the people of Oregon recently had to do), you realize that Michigan (and the other states, excluding Oregon) forces physicians to choose between obeying the law or helping their patients. In effect, the law demands that doctors sentence some of their patients to months of agony with no hope of survival. What about the "do no harm" principle? In these cases, the law says that a doctor must harm the patient or else be prepared to face government sanctions.

Mr. Ashcroft and those who share his beliefs have every right to reject the suicide option, even if they choose to live in Oregon. But why should anyone who holds a more humane view of life be forced to abide by the tenets of Mr. Ashcroft and the religious splinter groups that agree with him? Is this a proper use of federal authority? I think not.

By LET'S ROLL on Friday, November 9, 2001 - 12:25 am:

---

By LET'S ROLL on Friday, November 9, 2001 - 12:24 am:

You are so right, Scott. How about employment as an issue. I was unemployed, quit, became a cashier, quit, turned to cosmotology, quit, turned briefly to the rodeo circuit, quit,was an airline stewardess, quit, was a secretary for a year or two, quit. Why? Because these were things unwanted. Why? Because I want to be in control of my life. Problem with that?

Well...since we're already on this profound and emotionally-entangled human subject of death, individual free-will and State control, here's a worthy news excerpt(and link) to further challenge our contemporary ethical premises:

Federal judge blocks Ashcroft's suicide directive
By William McCall
Nov. 8, 2001 | PORTLAND, Ore.
A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a federal order aimed at thwarting Oregon's assisted suicide law.
U.S. District Judge Robert Jones granted the temporary restraining order requested by Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers, three terminally ill patients and others. The order is in effect until Nov. 20.
"There is no showing that the U.S. would be irreparably impaired by a temporary stay of the (U.S.) attorney general's action," Jones said.
Oregon has the nation's only law allowing physician-assisted suicides. It has been used by at least 70 terminally ill people since 1997, all of whom used a federally controlled substance such as a barbiturate.

Click here to read rest of news-piece

Hi all...
It's been a while.
Didn't we go thru all this about pro-life/pro-choice earlier this year ?
Didn't I say that the pro-lifers/pro-choicers were not going to be influenced in one way or another on their stance about the issue?
(As said by pampered, earlier today)
I also said that what the he** does abortion have to do with "Keweenaw Issues". Well, now it does concern the Keweenaw, somewhat, with the recent opening of Planned Parenthood. But to beat the issue back and forth here, it's becomming assinine,(just as the protestors at the clinic), as it was earlier this year.
Let's find a new "Keweenaw Issue" to debate/discuss.

Pampered,
I realize that you are tired, as you have confessed to that sin (I forgive you), but you suggest you are bowing out from the abortion debate, and then you say: Women who choose abortion as an option will continue to have them--regardless of the legality--as they have for thousands of years in every country in the world.

Reason enough, I guess, eh, to keep it "legal". Hey, the libertarians want to legalize drugs. Go figure. They suggest the "war" on drugs is wrong.

Am I wrong, or has the world taken an evolutionary step backward? Say, whud!

John Griffith,

Please DON'T read Proverbs, lest you "behave and become wise" like SpeedTrap.

How can you tell the holidays are just around the corner? by the fruitcakes!

John Griffith, you are too "politically correct" and have a lot to learn.."right to lifers" are not the killers of the doctors or mothers--killers are. Your colors are showing very liberally. What an "off the wall" statement! And, neither should abortion be "thrust upon others of differing beliefs". Freedom has responsibility to God and country. What does that song say "believe in something, or you'll fall for anything". I suggest you read Proverbs, John, if you want to know how to behave and become wise. The person has won his freedom when he becomes wise in that "special" way--his eyes are opened and he can see right from wrong and he knows the difference. I would compare the murder of innocent babies with the attack on the World Trade Center, if you want to compare. John you are a confused man. Your article was more like an anonomous ranting!

can't we all just get along?

Here's a current example of a right-wing Christian using the federal government to force his religious views on people who have already rejected those views at the ballot box: Ashcroft threatens law-abiding Oregon physicians with arrest. It's not just the mullahs who threaten the American way of life. Christian extremists like our own attorney general are also trying hard to take our country down the tubes.

Thoughtful et al,

I'm going to try to gracefully exit the abortion discussion because everyone already has a strong personal opinion and nothing said on this board will change anyone's mind. The bantering back and forth is of little use and does absolutely nothing to solve the underlying problem: unwanted pregnancies.

Women who choose abortion as an option will continue to have them--regardless of the legality--as they have for thousands of years in every country in the world.

Pampered,

You speak of "private matters that concern women's bodies". Do you ever consider the statistical reality that more than half of the lives being terminated this week by abortion, are female?

Thanks for laughter link, Pampered. Will have to bookmark this one for future reference.

Tired,
I'm tired too--mostly tired of men haggling over private matters that concern women's bodies.

Pampered,
I don't have to justify my position. For the greater part of our time here on Earth, the thought that anyone would kill life through abortion was abominal. There have been many decisions made in the course of our history that were not right, that had little to do with anything in the Bible, (Japanese internment comes to mind) and simply because the Supreme COurt was not asked to challenge, it wasn't. Just because a law exists does not make it constitutional.

And yes, if someone doesn't want to hear the phone ring, they certainly aren't going to pick it up. But try imagining our beloved scientists discovering something resembling life on another planet, something that looks too much like an aborted fetus....would they be falling all over themselves to show the world what they found?

Would they be falling all over themselves to use their discovery as someone evidence for the lack of God?

Nick Adams, That was funny! Here's a cool site to check out for some off-the-wall political humour. Most of the animations were created in Flash and Shockwave.

Don't cha just love technology?

http://politicalhumor.about.com/

In like payment for S's link to the very funny video of a Taliban official being harassed by telephone solicitors, here's another link to a hilarious Merle Kessler(formerly Ian Schoals) satire on what "coded message" Osama bin Laden is really sending through those Al-Jazeera videotapes:

Click Here

And around the state, gay rights supporters win all three ballot fights--ballots that were just another attempt by the "Christian Right" to impose their religious beliefs through legislation.

http://www.detroitnews.com/2001/politics/0111/07/3politics-338007.htm

Occasional,

Regarding your statement, "abortion is nothing more than murder, and need for a lack of responsibility." Keep in mind that's just your opinion--nothing more.

And don't try to justify your position with Biblical scriptures--using that argument on a non-Christian is about as effective as reciting from the phone book.

If the abortion issue were so cut-and-dried you might ask yourself why the highest court in the land (US Supreme Court) and almost every developed country in the world supports a woman's right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.

Granola, Of course the anti-abortionists have the right to free speech, and no doubt they sometimes succeed in changing people's minds. That's fine. What they don't have is the right to use the power of the state to force their religious beliefs on others at the point of a gun. Unlike Afganistan and several middle eastern countries, the clergy here don't have the right to dictate the behavior of the citizens.

I think what John said, Rad, is that because the opponents of "Planned Parenthood" have an opinion on abortion and their opinion is based on religious convictions, that they have no right to freedom of expression, that they have no right to try to achieve legislation to prohibit what they believe is murder, what the world likens to ridding the woman's body of a disease, a tumor, that should be vacuumed out and disposed of like the empty can of beans one throws out with the garbage.

(Sorry, pampered, but abortion is nothing more than murder, and need for a lack of responsibility.)

Watch and learn and pay heed to this: The world will argue for the right to free speech, for the right to petition to address grievances, but not if you are devout in your religion. Oops.
Did I say religion? I meant Christianity.

That he likens them to the terrorists of the 11th is not right. He is wrong, and wrong in a big way. There are still innocents buried in the rubble of NYC. To use John's logic, if there is a pregnant woman buried in the rubble, the terrorists are guilty of murdering an unborn child. But if a woman exercises her body and has life sucked from her body with a vacuum, then it is okay.

But even though the opponents of Planned Parenthood are clearly opposed to the vacuuming of human life and their placards (can one actually see what they are as they drive through town? I couldn't before…I don't know about now, but I doubt it) portray the human fetus.
And why, pray tell, do we know it is a human fetus? Is it because it looks like a human?

Radical,
It's all in the name--Osama bin Laden, the fertilized egg fanatics downtown, the would-be bombers on campus--they're radicals. Way out in left field--or is it right field?--of the mainstream. And yes, they all have freedom of speech here in the good old USA. It's when the rhetoric turns into illegal acts--then we have a problem. Yeah, too bad we can't all slice off a little spot--I have one picked out already. Sure would be nice if folks could just mind their own business (or uterus) and leave other folks alone.

In a shocking turn of events, the magical media tour has failed to indicate which right wing (Midwestern even?) group is responsible for the attempted bombing at MTU. Or is the work of your other right?

And Mr. Griffith dares suggest the opponents to Planned Parenthood are related to the terrorists? While trying to suggest they have the right to express themselves, too......?

And something about legislating......? How about the opponents try to slice off a section of the country where they can be saved by Mother Earth from her followers?

Say, whud?

I think this would be a way to seek revenge against the evil regime that has been harboring that Osama dude:

Check it out...


http://members.sigecom.net/theclan/Taliban.html

The Keweenaw?
It's all in your head, John.
All in your head.

ps where is Keweenaw?

yup.....

i guess they are just trying to score. hehe. it doesn't work though.

as an alternative i recommend those folks go to Bangkok and visit Soi Cowboy, pay the bar fine of 600 Baht (about $15) and shag a good looking brown girl.

then the rest of us poor souls can sit at the bar and get loaded in peace.

You tell 'em, John!
These darn kids today!
Who do they think they are?
Why waste time on this innocent nonsense when they could be downloading hard core porn along with real men like yourself?
It's a funny world, ain't it?

Pampered, they are always males, and it is irritating as heck listening to them. they really are silly.....

john,
what makes you think they're males? (i do, although i'm not exactly sure why).

OK...
Just finished a marathon read of Homer's Iliad/Odyssey, the Bible and the Koran...

WHOA NOW, I SAY WHOA BOY!!

Of these 3 works, the Koran is easily the least literary and most susceptible to authoritarian political manipulation.

Osama bin Laden meet Charles Manson... meet Jim Jones...meet David Koresh...meet...no...no...not?

Yep!
Jacques "Sweet Meat" La Bete.

STAY TUNED

By Attention-Deficit Japheth Thanks Idaho Liz By Putting Revisionist Spin on Recent Post on Tuesday, November 6, 2001 - 02:02 am:

Just One Funky Historical White-Boy Dance-Step beyond Shem and Ham lies Japheth's Lost Theology of the West!
MTU's got it!
So does MIT!
Stanford and MTV!
What if that 3rd Son of Noah*, Turn-Turn-Turn's out to be a God-Fearing Secular Humanist?
He whom the Greeks christened the "Father Of All Mankind"!
Just Think, Beyond that Contemporary Biblical/Koranic Millennium-Plus Time Warp, Might Lie...2001!

So Here's 3 Healthy Greek Cheers
From Math to Biology to Metaphysics
For Modern America's Secular-Humanist Public Education!

Dear Religious Fundamentalists of Every Pool Ball Solid or Stripe:
You'd bet-bet-better get really really ready, for you don't have a Mother-Flickin' Cue!
Pssst-ssst, here's a Sherlock-Watson Clue:

ART AND SCIENCE


*Japheth**(or Titanic J(I)apetus—see “Jupiter Mission” in 222-page 2001: A Space Odyssey © 1968 Arthur C. Clarke and Polaris Productions)
**Don't forget Japheth's Trusty-Busty Sister Sybil!

Japheth,
Thanks for the grand giggle. Anxiously awaiting the next installment.

SpeedTrap, do you honestly believe what you have written? If you do, then it is not too hard to understand what is wrong in this world. No one is responsible for controlling anyone else. Each person (he or she) is responsible for their own actions. I don't think every woman a man comes in contact with should have to play Mommy. If they want someone to control them, then they should go home to their mothers.

It Takes Two, I stand corrected and yes men should have morals and restraint, but quite frankly I think they have those primeval urges that need to be controlled by the woman. I don't think it would take too much to do that, after all we have brains to know right from wrong. Maybe it's the wrong that isn't being emphasized. It is wrong to have sex before marriage, the consequences are not fun...like diseases and an unwanted pregnancy. Whenever you can't control your own body, you have to put it into the hands of others to control it for you. Such as Planned Parenthood. I thought young people wanted to be their own person. I still put more responsibility on the woman. I could be wrong.

SpeedTrap, since when is it just the woman's responsibility? Doesn't a man also have a responsibility to help prevent an unwanted pregnancy also? You make it sound like it is all the woman's fault, no morales, etc. What about all the men in the world that have no respect for the women they meet and do everything they can to get them into bed. Where are their morales and self-restraint? Where is their respect for themselves? In this day and age, there is also protection they can use to prevent pregnancy and not to mention spreading disease. It does take two and the road goes both ways!

FYI, Planned Parenthood serves many married people, too.

Not everyone who has sex wants to be a parent!

Hi Jennifer: I would not like to see the mutilation of aborted fetuses either and either should children. Maybe the protesters could tone it down, but they still have the right to protest, after all, you are still killing babies. These young women would not need Planned Parenthood (nice name) if they would use some intelligence and respect for their bodies and not jump in bed so easily. There also is contraception and then, there is marriage, if I could be so bold. I do not understand why in this enlightened world, are so many girls think so little of themselves they don't say "no". Where is the education and self-ingrained respect that is a woman in these enlightened times. There should be no need for Planned Parenhood, there is the home, local organizations, the church, a friend one could go to. Planned Parenthood drives a wedge between the Family. What a mess we can get into, when the morality of the Country goes down the drain.

I'm sick of seeing protestors outside of
Planned Parenthood in Houghton... I think the
big huge posters of mutilated fetuses are not
appropriate for young children driving by. They
are doing more harm them help.

Can't they find something better to do with
their time?

A county official familiar with local intelligence reports was quoted on the record as saying that elements of the Lake Linden Village Street Department will be ready to deal with the onslaught of winter. Lake Linden, a Catholic stronghold, has been praised for snow cleanup, especially during the brutal winter campaigns of the past. The Village Street Department has employed a kind of carpet-plowing that has claimed many innocent snowflakes.

"You expect to have some collateral damage," said Jude Kalcich, semi-retired grader operator and current snowplowing advisor to Channel 5 news, standing before a large street map of the Village. "This area in particular," Jude instructed viewers, pointing to an area near the old elementary school, "is a danger to plow drivers. One area resident has been known to scowl at plow-drivers."

"How long will the public have to wait until the streets are cleared?" asked Esther Viada.

"A lot depends on the snow," said Jude. "Many claim the Department drags its feet," Esther prodded. "There are some who ask why can't Village get the plowing over quickly…like the County." Jude's response was, "It's not too early to stop at you local gas station and have the attendant put some winter air in your tires!"

OK, here's a little more reading material before we head off to bed....is Big Brother watching YOU?

http://www.robertscheer.com/1_natcolumn/01_columns/103001.htm

Just One Funky Historical White-Boy Dance-Step beyond Shem and Ham lies Japheth's Lost Theology of the West!
MTU's got it!
So does MIT!
Stanford and MTV!
What if that Titanic 3rd Son of Noah(with his trusty-busty sister Sibyl), Japheth(or
J(I)apetus--see Kubrick's 2001), Turn-Turn-Turn's out to be a God-Fearing Secular Humanist?
He whom the Greeks christened the "Father Of All Mankind"!
Just Think, Beyond that Contemporary Biblical/Koranic Millennium-Plus Time Warp, Might Lie...2001 TODAY!

Pssst-Pssst, Here's a Sherlock Clue:

ART AND SCIENCE

---

By Bart Six-Pack on Friday, November 2, 2001 - 10:52 pm:

Not so fast, Gray Davis!
How's this for a Bridge of Twin Towers:

Great News Article Editorial:

America must stop publicly apologizing for civilian casualties in the Afghanistan war.

It's playing directly into the hands of its enemy who, with far less regard for human life, are hoping its allegations of civilian casualties will weaken the resolve for war of the American people. The enemy is not stupid.

It knows the sanctity we in the West place on human life; it knows TV images of dead and maimed civilian adults and children will tear the heartstrings of the American populace.

It believes that we -- those of us with no clue about the dirty realities of war and the deviousness of many enemies in war -- will, out of our inherent goodness, naively swallow any and all propaganda.

It knows we are prone to a psychological need to beat up on ourselves to assuage the sub-conscious guilt over our golden lifestyle relevant to the world's less fortunate.

We do not need to account for who we are, what we are, and what we have.

How sickly ironic that the Taliban, this rogue regime that perverts Islam for its criminal causes, and supports and gets financial support from the terrorist Osama bin Laden, is weeping over the U.S. "genocide" through "civilian casualties."

Right, Taliban. Tell it to the some 6,000 "civilian casualties" deliberately murdered in cold blood in a couple of hours one morning. Including, by the way, some 700 of your Islamic faith.

How would you react, Taliban, to the bombs of the United States' aircraft deliberately murdering some 6,000 Afghan civilians in a couple of hours tomorrow morning? Oh, we can imagine.

Civilian casualties are a terrible reality of war. War is not an exact science. But, one thing we do know: There are Muslim fanatics who feel killing "enemies" and dying in the name of their faith will put them on the fast track to a loving God.

You show, Taliban, for Western consumption, TV images of adults and children supposedly killed by American firepower, and perhaps it is so.

Or were they really victims of your own weapons, your own placement of civilians in harm's way, your own placement of targeted military installations in close proximity to civilians in the hope they will be killed so as to subvert the will of the American people?

You must be pleased at the U.S. government officials going on TV and wringing their hands apologetically over civilian casualties, and the lap-dog media enhancing your pleasure.

This ludicrousness must stop. Multi-thousands of civilians were killed in World War II by allied firepower; the American politicians did not go before the media and the world apologizing for every single act of civilian death.

U.S. officials say the small number of Afghan civilian deaths were "accidental." Some perhaps, some maybe not. The subversion of will can work on both sides.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed in the allied deliberate fire-bombing of Dresden and Tokyo in World War II. And by the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. War is a dirty business.

But that was then in a more gung-ho, de-sensitized era. That, and knowing the evil mindset of this current enemy, I choose to believe "accidental" more so than "deliberate."

A final asininity serving the enemy: Those howling for the end of the bombing because in three weeks the war hasn't been won. Or they're "disappointed" in not seeing combat footage on TV.

Excuse me? World War II lasted six years. The Vietnam war, much longer. If you want war to end nice and tidily and victoriously in two hours, go rent the Hollywood war movies you've been foolishly conditioned by.