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1. Deb was riding the public bus to work. She was
minding her own business when a security guard got on the bus and
demanded that every passenger show their ID. Deb declined. The
guard called in federal cops, and she was arrested and charged
with federal criminal misdemeanors after refusing to show ID on
demand. On the 9th of December 2005, she was be arraigned in U.S.
District Court in a case that will determine whether Deb and the
rest of us live in a free society, or in a country where we must
show “papers” whenever a cop demands them.
2. An American cat from Wisconsin, who disappeared
two months prior to being found in Paris at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Emily, the cat, identified by her tags, flew home business class
accompanied by a company escort. She apparently crawled into a
container of paper bales when she wandered away from her home.
The container was trucked to Chicago, shipped to Belgium, then
Paris. Emily seems happy to be home, but more settled down says
her owner. Associated Press
3. An historic agreement was signed that will permanently protect
120,000 undeveloped acres on the banks of the gray whale lagoon
nursery at San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja, Mexico. This breakthrough
deal is the first phase in our visionary plan to protect one million
acres surrounding the greatest whale breeding ground on Earth.
And it was made possible thanks to $1.5 million in generous donations
from NRDC Members and supporters. National Resources Defense Counsel
4. Kodak has introduced a 4-megapixel camera with
a 3x optical zoom lens, 256 mb of internal memory and a 3-in. LCD
screen. So you’re
not impressed. This one is wireless. You can send out pictures
over the Internet, without a cable from any Wi-Fi location. www.kodak.com.
5. The Japanese space probe Hayabusa was sent
on a mission to test a gaggle of futuristic technologies, from
ion-propulsion drive to an autonomous navigation suite, but the
real wonder occurred when Hayabusa (falcon) approached a lima bean-shaped
2000 ft. long rock, the asteroid, Itokawa. It sent surprising pictures
of gnarled hills and a section covered with loose soil. Surface
soil samples are expected to reach the earth in 2007. Popular Mechanics
12/05
6. Another reason to jettison the check/debit
cards... A friend came through from Florida telling tales of woe
after the last hurricanes. She, like so many modern day consumers
relied on plastic for everything. With the electricity out, the
computers couldn’t scan the
cards, so no one was able to buy gas, groceries, or any of the
barest necessities without real dollars (greenbacks). Even if people
still had checks tucked away in a drawer somewhere, the merchants
were afraid to take them without the electronic guarantee.
7. Dec. 16, 2005 - The Senate rejected efforts to renew expiring
provisions of the Patriot Act. The Senate failed to garner sufficient
votes to “invoke cloture” on a filibuster blocking
the Patriot Act from coming to a final vote. The provision is scheduled
to expire on Dec 31. so there is still a slim chance that the Patriot
Act could come to a vote. CNN (Editor’s note - Hopefully
all the Senators will go home for the Christmas Holidays) |
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