Hawks killed simply because they were "inconvenient" to GOLF COURSE!

Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted): Who Are the REAL Enemies of our Wildlife?:Wednesday, federal agents from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Orange County, Florida, shot and killed a pair of nesting red-shouldered hawks, Buteo lineatus after they had previously removed the birds' nest and eggs.

The birds made the unfortunate choice to nest on the grounds of a hoity-toity golf course, Villas of Grand Cypress Golf Resort, which is near Interstate 4 and south of the Dr. Phillips community.

The resort director claimed they were attacking guests and employees, but its really down to the USDA (why the hell did THEY get involved) who actually did the shooting rather than relocate the birds and their nest (and the eggs they were protecting) or simply replied back to the villa to not go so close to that particular tree until the birds were through with it (which only would have been a month or two).
*sigh*

the future of music players? just like the past...

the concern over headphones & kids has been around since the walkman. i remember these exact same questions and concerns back in high school in the 80s.

rock guitarists playing in studio environments play their stuff at far higher levels than walkman-era portable devices could ever put out. kids with double-woofer bass amps in the backs of their cars pounding out rap music is more the volume level that Townshend was dealing with (although likely with less bass).

in fact, if i recall correctly, the FTC had already mandated max output limits in decibals for portable devices specifically to address this issue back in the 80s and its all so commonplace in engineering standards that nobody's thought about it. it only *seems* like its a new problem, but its always been there.

when they figure out how to put music directly into our heads bypassing our ears, the same types of questions are going to come up because they always do.

actually, i would suspect that if you looked at the percentages of kids under 18 with cassette walkmans back in 1985, with portable cd players in 1995, and with ipods or other mp3 devices in 2005, you'll find the exact same rate of purchasing and listening across the board

and whatever gets invented (because *somebody* will have to take down the ipod) in 2010 will have the exact same rate of market penetration by 2015. likely it'll be a WAN device that will allow you to listen to whatever's on your home computer system no matter where in the country you are, as long as you are near an 802.11(x) neighborhood, so all your music will be permanently in one place.  technically, its feasable now, and already 802.11b transmitters and receivers are available for in-house use.

certainly such a device would sell for the safety factor (if it gets stolen or lost, simply restrict it from being a permitted device at your source) and the studios would love it 'cause it means they can keep a more tight count of the number of people who have paid for a song.

now, that has me running out of ideas for what might be the thing to come out in 2020 (to have the same market penetration by 2025).

no brains no service

WTOP: Teen Sues Restaurant After Drunken Fall:

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) - A teenager who sneaked into a charity bartender contest to drink is suing the restaurant for causing facial injuries she suffered in a drunken fall in the parking lot.

Tyler C. Bauer, 18, of New Market, is seeking $200,000 in damages from TGI Friday's, according to the lawsuit filed March 22 in Frederick County Circuit Court.

Bauer claims the restaurant was negligent in allowing her to consume beer and liquor purchased for her by an 18-year-old companion and an older man on Oct. 11.

The lawsuit says Bauer, then 17, shattered her teeth, lips and gums when she passed out and fell on her face in the parking lot with a blood alcohol level of 0.238 percent - nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08 for operating a motor vehicle. Police reported that Bauer had fallen off the tailgate of a pickup truck while leaving the bar.

The Frederick County Liquor Board fined the restaurant $1,600 in January for allowing Bauer and her underage friend to drink.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

ok, lemme get this straight: YOU illegally got drinks; YOU got yourslf shitfaced beyond sanity; YOU fell like a goddamn wino, and now YOU think some court is going to give YOUR already spoiled (and soiled?) ass yet more money?

most peoples' parents would have disowned them by now...