Online story: "Researchers from Japan's Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties announced Friday that three glass beads recovered from a Fifth Century burial site near Kyoto bear signs of Roman craftsmanship. This suggests that Roman influence reached as far as East Asia. * Researchers are now interested in finding out how the beads traveled more than 6,000 miles from present-day Italy to Japan. * This is not the first evidence of contact between Eastern and Western civilizations in the ancient world." -- Hmmm..why are historians amazed at finding Roman made artifacts in Japan 400-500 years after the birth of Christ? They should know '3 Kings from the Orient' had been in Bethlehem to honor Christ, so it wasn't like no one was amazed the other area existed. --- Why does Mayor Obamalinson think any high-speed rail project in GA would want to connect to Columbus. It is folly AND waste of dollars to pursue even study for such when no matter how fast the train runs, just being tied to a once/twice a day fixed schedule of departure/arrival is not going to appeal to anyone with a vehicle or access to GROOM to get to Atlanta, and who wants to get to Macon in a hurry? --- The latest from barackobama.com: Got asked to take a survey which was pretty much an unveiled attempt to get me to donate to potUS Arpege's re-election. One question asked "when" and 'how much' I felt I would donate. I answered, "None, I am saving my cash to pay for the new taxes that are coming if you get re-elected". Wonder how much longer I'll get e-mail from him.. --- Thanks to a tip from a fellow BCer, potUS Arpege is no longer just begging for lunch money. Now he is asking for cash birthday gifts. Be careful, as if they are 'gifts', they may be going into his personal account versus his campaign account. --- From a politicos Facebook site - This is the farmer's defense against pesky government drones: I'm going to wait for it in John Deere green. --- L-E story: "David Ham, 30, was arrested about 4 p.m. and held at the Muscogee County Jail. He was charged with two misdemeanor counts of tattooing minors and one count each of violation of probation, obstruction of a police officer and loitering. He pleaded not guilty to the tattooing charges during a 2 p.m. Saturday hearing in Recorder’s Court. Bond was set at $2,700 on the two charges. * Under Georgia law, tattooing of anyone under age 18 is prohibited by anyone other than a licensed osteopath or technician acting under the direct supervision of a licensed physician or osteopath." -- Wait a minute!!! just where are the parents' involvement as to whether any licensed osteopath or technician 'operates' on a child under 18? --- Well done, Mort Harris. You know, it's nice to be able to report on a lawyer's 'doings' with enthusiasm and joy. --- Liberal's L-E 'soundoff': "It is important to remember that the words “under God” were added to the Pledge in 1954 under President Eisenhower. Our Founding Fathers believed devoutly that church and state should remain separated." -- Why is it that liberals are wrong even when they feel they are right? According to Wikipedia , "The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of loyalty to the federal flag and the republic of the United States of America, originally composed by Francis Bellamy in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942. The Pledge has been modified four times since its composition, with the most recent change adding the words "under God" in 1954." Guess liberals don't understand the evil of half/partial truths is even worse than a 100% lie; guess that's why liberals will rally behind other liberals regardless of the facts. --- Interesting tidbit in the L-E story on garbage/waste fees going up: "While the city will continue to pick up yard waste at the curb, as of Sept. 1, it will no longer pick up waste in plastic bags. It will have to be either in trash cans or in biodegradable bags, which will be available in home stores, (Pat) Biegler said. " -- Has any thought been given to why people use plastic bags, either by themselves or inside garbage cans? How about health and safety reasons... Unlined garbage cans will require post pickup cleansing to eliminate bacterial growth, and what is more evident to a criminal that no one is home when garbage cans lay on their sides all day after the pickups have been made? Seniors are going to love this rule...NOT! While I'm sure biodegradable bags will be available here by September 1st, but how will the City be able to enforce this issue. What's the City going to do, make an inspection at every stop, which would easily double the time of garbage pickups, or is the City just going to leave rotting bags of garbage on the curbs until consumers re-bag their garbage? No 'good idea' is really a 'good idea' if it hasn't been thoroughly thought through. --- Another under-aged drinking busted... hope the police 'offered' every one a chance to blow into the breathalyzer so the charges will stick...this time. --- L-E story: "A Columbus man was charged with reckless conduct after striking a patron while leaving the Foxy Lady Lounge on Victory Drive. * No report was available on the woman’s condition." --Hmmm, I'd have to think her condition was partially inebriated, and I'm not even a reporter or policeman. --- Believing in second chances for non-violent convicts is a good, if not noble, idea, but third and fourth chances lose a lot of luster. --- Just as suspected, too much of the 70% portion of the last City LOST tax is turning into tax funded day care programs., and most of them will require patents deciding between multiple available government programs they want to do their job for them. --- While Council and the MCSD Board are making request to establish more taxing laws, how about requiring both entities to make public what the employee salaries really are when the benefits and perks are added to the 'official' salary. --- Why is another City employee being appointed to head the City Building Inspections and Code Enforcement department when the obvious 'go-to' person for L-E stories on such activities is another person? --- Why is Council considering eminent domain (Declaration of TAKING) on homes around the airport while at the same time, spending money on studies of high speed railways that would pretty much put commercial service out of business? --- L-E headline: "Jerry Sandusky's Child Abuse Trial * Lawyers' request to resign denied before trial began * Claimed they were not adequately prepared for trial" -- Well, just what were they doing with the time they billed? Glad this wasn't held in GA; can see the headline 2 years from now that Sandusky will get a new trial based on "ineffectiveness of counsel". ---