Monkey Musing Daily Open Discussion #2 8/17 - 8/24/2007

[San]

Anna how are you feeling today.

Thanks for asking, San.  Still pretty shaky.  Need to get more pedialyte.

First we were told the heat would break last Thursday.  That didn't happen then the weather services said mid week and now it is extended through the end of the week.

At least some high schools have cancelled football practice I am told. 

And rain would be wonderful but none in the forcast for the next ten days other than slight chances.  Trees are turning and losing leaves like in the autumn.

Well you make sure you take it easy.

It has been raining her all day and it is a little chilly (61 degrees).  I hope you get rain storm soon.

[Anna]

These are actual degrees.  Heat Index as high as 108 in store for us it seems.


Forecast:

Current Forecast
Today
 
 Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 100. Heat index values as high as 107. Calm wind becoming southwest between 5 and 10 mph. 
Tonight
 
 Mostly clear, with a low around 74. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm. 
Wednesday
 
 Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 101. Heat index values as high as 108. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. 
Wednesday Night
 
 Mostly clear, with a low around 75. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph. 
Thursday
 
 Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 100. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm. 
Thursday Night
 
 Mostly clear, with a low around 75. 
Friday
 
 A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly cloudy, with a high near 97. 
Friday Night
 
 A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. 
Saturday
 
 A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a high near 97. 
Saturday Night
 
 A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. 

[San]

These are actual degrees.  Heat Index as high as 108 in store for us it seems.


Forecast:

Current Forecast
Today
 
 Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 100. Heat index values as high as 107. Calm wind becoming southwest between 5 and 10 mph. 
Tonight
 
 Mostly clear, with a low around 74. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm. 
Wednesday
 
 Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 101. Heat index values as high as 108. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. 
Wednesday Night
 
 Mostly clear, with a low around 75. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph. 
Thursday
 
 Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 100. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm. 
Thursday Night
 
 Mostly clear, with a low around 75. 
Friday
 
 A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly cloudy, with a high near 97. 
Friday Night
 
 A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. 
Saturday
 
 A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a high near 97. 
Saturday Night
 
 A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. 

That is just too hot.

[klaasend]

Klaas...thanks for that link...was great...!

Anna and MuffyBee....something with a big mouth is eating my tomatoes...and I think it is for the fluid...

Every now and then a bird would peck at a tomato, but this is something more...like a rabbit or a groundhog or dog.  I have gone out the last few days and found half a tomato (times 5 or 6) gone.

I would rather they eat outside than try coming in for a bite on the kitchen table...!

And, so far, no critters.

If something with a big mouth was eating my tomatoes you can kiss the garden goodbye because I'm not stepping one foot in there .

Sure it's not just a really big tomato horn worm? 

[MuffyBee]

O.J.'s book won't be at Barnes & Noble

Citing a perceived lack of customer interest, the chain said the book would only be available by special order or for purchase online.

http://www.kvue.com/news/top/stories/082107kvueojbook-cb.576e2393.html

[thecuz]

I was afraid Huntsville was going to get blamed about the tile the way they were the infamous "O" rings and so am relieved at the safe landing as always. 

Those space shuttles are just amazing and yet we take them for granted now.  I am also still also fearful for the astronauts wht whole time they are in orbit or up there anywhere until they safely return.  Think we all breathe a collective sigh of relief.  But the flights have become sort of routine.

Would never be routine for me, however. 

An old friend of mine used to work for Nasa and was on the team that formulated the fuel for the shuttle's main engines. I'd always laugh and call him a "rocket scientist" because that's what he was! But he was a genuinely nice good old country boy. You'd never know what his day job was by just talking to him. He's an amazing fellow.

Anyway, he once told me (back in the 90's) that when you factor in all of the risks, that each shuttle mission has a 1 in 53 chance of not making it back. You know how Nasa is, they did all the math and statistics and everything. Of course, that's not a publicized number - it's something they calculated in the engineering departments there.

1 in 53. If you do the math (today's was what, 118?), their numbers are pretty much dead-on.

The whole Nasa "machine" is really fascinating in its efficiency and structure. There are literally no way that things can fall thru the cracks. In spite of it being a government organization, there are so many levels of redundancy and checks and balances that any failure is almost never due to human oversight, but instead is generally an uncontrollable defect of some sort.

Back in the day when they were having trouble with the tiles falling off, I remember my friend telling us how they spent 3 months doing analysis on the chemicals in the fuel he helped make with the chemicals in the glue to see if the two had any relation. ie. did the burning fuel produce something that caused the glue to weaken, etc... It's really really remarkable how they do everything. I've got a huge amount of respect for those guys.

1 in 53. That's kinda scary, but I'd have to say given the incredible privilege of going to space - if I were in the astronauts shoes, I'd still take my chances.

my dad worked for nasa in the 60's (redstone arsenal then) he was a mechanical engineer that designed and built parts of the lift off arm..obsolete now..lol!! always has fascinated me...but you are right...it all seems so routine now until something like a little rip makes you realize the magnitude of every decision! so glad everything worked out and we didn't have to hear....Houston..we have a problem!

[San]

Klaas...thanks for that link...was great...!

Anna and MuffyBee....something with a big mouth is eating my tomatoes...and I think it is for the fluid...

Every now and then a bird would peck at a tomato, but this is something more...like a rabbit or a groundhog or dog.  I have gone out the last few days and found half a tomato (times 5 or 6) gone.

I would rather they eat outside than try coming in for a bite on the kitchen table...!

And, so far, no critters.

If something with a big mouth was eating my tomatoes you can kiss the garden goodbye because I'm not stepping one foot in there .

Sure it's not just a really big tomato horn worm? 

Yuk.  That's disgusting.

I'm afraid to ask what those little circle things are.  They look like eyes.

[Anna]

I think those green worms can sting, too!

[klaasend]

LOL  They are made to look like eyes to scare away the horn worms predators.

[Anna]

 

 


 
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f66851fc-4f48-11dc-b485-0000779fd2ac.html
 
Poison clothes add to China export scares
By Geoff Dyer in Shanghai

Published: August 20 2007 19:56 | Last updated: August 20 2007 19:56

The safety problems affecting Chinese goods spread from toys to textiles on Monday as New Zealand said it would investigate allegations that imported children’s clothes contained dangerous levels of formaldehyde.

The government ordered the probe after scientists hired by a consumer watchdog programme discovered formaldehyde in Chinese clothes at levels of up to 900 times regarded as safe. Manufacturers sometimes apply formaldehyde to clothes to prevent mildew. It can cause skin rashes, irritation to the eyes and throat and allergic reactions.

The Warehouse, a New Zealand retailer, issued a recall at the weekend for children’s pyjamas made in China after two children were burned when their flannelette nightclothes caught fire.

The New Zealand investigation is the first time that the safety of Chinese clothes has been called into question; concerns have been raised over a series of Chinese products in recent months, including toys, food and toothpaste. Last week, Mattel said it was recalling 18.2m toys globally because of hazards such as the use of lead paint.

The latest concerns came as Li Changjiang, head of China’s safety watchdog, claimed the product safety scares were “a new trend of trade protectionism”, and accused some governments of “demonising China’s products”.

Hiscomments reflected Beijing’s anxiety over growing fears of Chinese exports in the US and Europe, but they were dismissed by Peter Mandelson, the European Union trade commissioner.

“The allegation that European companies’ action against toxic Chinese goods is politically motivated and shows bias against China is totally false,” said Mr Mandelson on Monday. “As trade commissioner, I will not accept claims of toxicity being used as a pretext for protectionism.’’

Economists say the safety scandals have so far had limited impact on exports, in part as toys accounted for less than 1 per cent of overall exports last year, while foodstuffs made up 1.4 per cent.

Textiles and clothing made up more than 13 per cent of exports in the first half of the year.

“The textile sector is a much more important part of China’s exports so this will be more of a cause for concern for the authorities,” said Mark Williams, an economist at Capital Economics in London. “However, these cases are still a drop in the ocean in terms of China’s overall trade.”

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

[Anna]

Nashville Schools Go to Half Day Schedule Because of Heat

http://www.wsmv.com/education/13919383/detail.html?rss=nash&psp=news&gg=true


Huummm. . . wish I could do that!

[JustMeT]

Nashville Schools Go to Half Day Schedule Because of Heat

http://www.wsmv.com/education/13919383/detail.html?rss=nash&psp=news&gg=true


Huummm. . . wish I could do that!

Don't tell my kiddos.. 

[klaasend]

DANA PRETZER TONIGHT:


The Dana Pretzer Show on Scared Monkeys Radio - Tuesday at 9PM EST, Guests: Eric Spinato, Mark Finkelstein and Robert Peters
This week’s guests include:

Former Cable TV Producer Entertaiment Specialist and President & CEO of Spinato & Associates Eric Spinato Discussing Sports Stars in trouble with the law.
 
From Newsbusters, Mark Finkelstein discussing MSNBC’s liberal bias.
 
Robert Peters, President of Morality in Media Discussing recent nude advertisments in the NY Post.
 
http://scaredmonkeys.com/radio/

[MuffyBee]

What's for dinner, Mrs. Skinner?

[San]

 

[2NJSons_Mom]

Not surprised by that article Anna posted about the clothing made in China....just this morning I received an email from a cosmetic company whose products I've used for a couple of years.  Guess where it's manufactured?  Yep, China. 

The product name & reputation now is clouded.....I'm wondering what I'm putting on my face, ya know?   

[oldfart]

NO SAN NO... !!!   

[klaasend]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293999,00.html

Hackers Hold Monster.com Users' Files Hostage
Tuesday , August 21, 2007




Hundreds of thousands of people, mostly in the U.S., have been exposed to the risk of file ransom after the Web site of the world's largest online recruiter was hacked.

Personal details stored on Monster.com, a Web site that lists job seekers and job opportunities, were taken after a raid by hackers who posed as employers to gain access to the site.

Having stolen the information, hackers e-mailed the victims claiming to have infected their computers with a virus and threatening to delete files unless demands for payment were met.

In all, more than 1.6 million entries in Monster's system — belonging to "several hundred thousand" members — were taken after the hackers logged in using the details of employers who routinely scour the site for prospective workers, according to the Silicon Valley security firm Symantec.

• Click here for Symantec's detailed explanation of how the scam works.

The information, which included first and last names, e-mail and home addresses and phone numbers, was then used to send "phishing" e-mails to members, apparently from Monster.com, encouraging them to download a tool known as "Monster Job Seeker."

The tool was in fact a malicious program known as a "Trojan," as in Trojan horse, which encrypted files on the victims' machines, making them inaccessible to the computer owner.

A message was left requesting that money be paid to the attackers before the files — which could include photos and other personal documents — would be decrypted.

• Click here to visit FOXNews.com's Cybersecurity Center.

Symantec, which first reported the breach, said that "such a large database of personal information" was "a spammer's dream."

"This remote server held over 1.6 million entries with personal information belonging to several hundred thousand candidates, mainly based in the U.S., who had posted their resumes to the Monster.com Web site," a posting on the Symantec blog said.

"We are investigating the reports related to this trojan and will take all necessary steps to mitigate the issue, including terminating any account used for illegitimate purposes," a statement from the company said.

Monster.com, based in New York, claims to the be the world's largest online jobs listing site, with 73 million resumes held globally.

It helps place candidates in a range of positions at blue-chip companies including HSBC, Bloomberg, Accenture and T-Mobile.

[klaasend]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293953,00.html

 
Dogs Catch Waves Together in California Contest



Tuesday , August 21, 2007



ADVERTISEMENT
 Bandit the Biker Dog and his canine friends hit the California surf recently to raise some dog-earned cash for charity.

The annual event lets the surfing dogs compete alone on the waves or with their owners on the same board.

• Click here for photos.

More than 1,000 people watched the 47 four-legged surfers in the second annual Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf Dog Competition to raise money for the resort's Good Neighbor Partners. Winners received hotel packages and dog treats.

Toby, a shih tzu mix, took home first place with Stoli, a black lab, and OB Dude, a basset mix, following closely behind in the first heat. Zoey, a Jack Russell terrier, came in first place and OB Dude and Pogey, a poodle mix, brought home second and third place, respectively, in the second heat of surf dogs and their owners surfing together

[Kat_Gram]

I threw out stuff that was made in China. Nightclothes that catch on fire, lead in the paint, not even toothpaste is exempt.. like gimme a break.. how stupid are we for letting these goods come in here ? Where the heck are the standards we have in North America ?
AND it it North American companies who have these sweat shops in Asia and cheap labor countries.
I have been reading labels more, but I don't have the resources to  do lab tests on my purchases and I am too old to do the back to the land thing and grow everything I eat, buy a sheep / yak / goat / emu / ostrich and spin my own yarn for clothes that I sew by hand by candle after a day of back breaking work pulling the plow.