October 2013

There were 49 posts published in October 2013 (this is page 2 of 5).

Police Protective Fund still suckering people

A friend posted a list compiled by Tampa Bay Times of America’s worst charities today so, knowing there’s a special place in Hell for scumbags who rip people off in the name of charity, I decided to check it out.

Lo and behold, spot number twenty was held by one of my favorite charities, the Police Protective Fund (PPF). You may recall I profiled the Police Protective Fund back in 2008 after I got a call from a solicitor seemingly trying his best to sound like a police officer.

According to tax records, PPF raised about $50 million from 2001 to 2010. Of that, roughly $15 million went to pay its solicitors. Oh, and as for the first responders PPF claims to assist, those brave men and women received $260,000 over that timeframe. That’s about $29,000 a year.

What most people don’t know is that the Police Protective Fund is a North Carolina corporation with its registered office at a corporation service on Hillsborough Street. I wonder if our fine attorney general would like to check these folks out. After all, they want to help cops, right? Why not help our state’s top cop investigate them for possible fraud?

70.3 million French phone records, 30 days: US envoy summoned after new NSA report draws ire

Here’s a story on the outrage expressed by our allies regarding NSA spying. What the article doesn’t mention is that these countries also engage in exactly the same kind of spying, against the US and other countries. In light of this, their protests ring a bit hollow.

The U.S. National Security Agency swept up 70.3 million French telephone records in a 30-day period, according to a newspaper report Monday that offered new details of the massive scope of a surveillance operation that has angered some of the country’s closest allies.

via 70.3 million French phone records, 30 days: US envoy summoned after new NSA report draws ire – The Washington Post.

The ocean is broken | Newcastle Herald

This is a depressingly sad report from a sailor who reports that our ocean appears to be very, very sick.

Exactly 10 years before, when Newcastle yachtsman Ivan Macfadyen had sailed exactly the same course from Melbourne to Osaka, all he’d had to do to catch a fish from the ocean between Brisbane and Japan was throw out a baited line.

“There was not one of the 28 days on that portion of the trip when we didn’t catch a good-sized fish to cook up and eat with some rice,” Macfadyen recalled. But this time, on that whole long leg of sea journey, the total catch was two.

No fish. No birds. Hardly a sign of life at all.

“In years gone by I’d gotten used to all the birds and their noises,” he said.

“They’d be following the boat, sometimes resting on the mast before taking off again. You’d see flocks of them wheeling over the surface of the sea in the distance, feeding on pilchards.”

But in March and April this year, only silence and desolation surrounded his boat, Funnel Web, as it sped across the surface of a haunted ocean.

via The ocean is broken | Newcastle Herald.

Halloween zombies

Turner Zombies, 2013

Turner Zombies, 2013


The Turner family did another turn as zombies for the Haunted Mordecai Trolley last night. The weather was much more agreeable than last year, though Hallie was feeling a bit too much like a zombie, having had a sleepover the night before.

Blue Cross letters scare some customers, but the outcome isn’t always bad

At a party recently, I was chatting with a firefighter who told some unbelievable stories. People have called 911 in the early morning, claiming to have an emergency, only when the fire truck rolls up they are fully dressed with their bags packed. When our first responders arrive and ask the perfectly fine-looking person what the emergency is, they respond that they just needed a ride to the hospital and knew it wouldn’t be busy at that time of day. Shaking his head, the firefighter said “and people wonder why their taxes are so high.”

There’s an in-depth look at the Affordable Care Act in the paper today by the N&O’s John Murawski, examining the cost differences of health care between various counties in the state. In many of these counties, the cost of health care is driven up by similar cases as the one I mentioned: people going to the emergency room for something minor like a headache. Give it a read.

Ann and Rodger Lenhardt were in for a jolt when they received their notice from Blue Cross Blue Shield recently. It said their monthly health insurance cost would triple – to $859.42 a month – next year.

Under closer inspection, however, the Lenhardts discovered a different story: By switching policies and taking advantage of federal subsidies, they will be able to offset most of their monthly premium costs, giving the farming couple highly discounted insurance.

via Blue Cross letters scare some customers, but the outcome isn't always bad | Economy | NewsObserver.com.

On anarchism, Moral Monday surveillance and The Color Run – Technician: Columns

My ever-popular post on the Color Run got a mention in a recent editorial in NCSU’s Technician student newspaper. While I appreciate the attention, I’m not sure what point the writer was trying to make. His column kind of rambles.

On Sept. 28, Raleigh hosted The Color Run, a for-profit 5K race in which the runners are doused in cornstarch dye through the race. But as The N&O reported, “Residents of the historic Oakwood neighborhood are fuming after a recent ‘color run’ left brightly colored powder on houses, and some people’s cars were towed from outside their homes.”

Mark Turner, a Raleigh resident and blogger who saw bleach mixture being used to wash the streets after the race and the “chemical-laden broth” allowed to drain into the Neuse River, said, “Raleigh Police posted ‘no parking’ notices with as little as 13 hours’ notice, leaving many residents unprepared. Tow trucks hauled off their cars and stuck them with bills upwards of $150 to get them back.”

via On anarchism, Moral Monday surveillance and The Color Run – Technician: Columns.

Given up the gavel

I gave up the gavel of the Raleigh Parks board last night, passing on the chairmanship to Kimberley Siran, who along with Scott Reston make up the new leadership team. We went through the entire meeting agenda last night without a quorum, holding off on the action items until one more member arrived. When Rodger Koopman arrived around 6:15 we voted to approve our minutes and to officially elect our new leaders.

It’s been a fun ride as chair of the Parks, Recreation, and Greenway Advisory Board (PRGAB) but I’m looking forward to seeing what the new leadership brings us. Congratulations to the new team!

Mental Floss Exclusive: Our Interview with Bill Watterson!

The magazine Mental Floss has a rare interview with Bill Watterson. Though Calvin and Hobbes long ago disappeared from the newspapers I felt compelled to read the whole article.

His answer to this question made me sad:

According to your collection introductions, you took up painting after the strip ended. Why don’t you exhibit the work?

My first problem is that I don’t paint ambitiously. It’s all catch and release—just tiny fish that aren’t really worth the trouble to clean and cook. But yes, my second problem is that Calvin and Hobbes created a level of attention and expectation that I don’t know how to process.

Bill Watterson’s earned the right to do whatever the hell he wants to do. He’s a fantastic artist and he’s worried about attention and expectation?

Dude, just do your thing. Please just do your thing. You don’t have to outdo Calvin and Hobbes, just let your new work take you wherever it may. I know I would love to see your new work and I know many others would, too. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone anymore, and yet the artist who held such high standards for his craft is probably a prisoner to those high standards.

I’m sad that the world will miss out on Watterson’s continuing creativity.

via Mental Floss Exclusive: Our Interview with Bill Watterson! | Mental Floss.

Construction begins on Oakwood North

Oakwood_North_construction_begins-2
One of the last undeveloped, 10 acre plots of land inside the Beltline heard the rumble of bulldozers this week as construction began on the Oakwood North subdivision. The KB Home neighborhood promises 29 39 new homes within a mere two miles of downtown Raleigh.

The project is expected to follow this rough timeline:

October 2013 – construction begins
Fall 2013 – Brick or stone neighborhood sign erected near Tonsler and State
April 2014 – first home built (model) near Tonsler and State
September 2014 – Extension of Tonsler to State complete
Continue reading →

911 slowly gets smart phone-savvy

My friend Tarus thought that using smartphones to summon emergency services would be a good idea. AT&T apparently thinks otherwise (hint: follow the money).

Durham County is among a handful of emergency dispatch centers in the state that will soon be capable of receiving 911 emergency calls as text messages or streaming video.

Dispatchers across the state are updating their local emergency networks to be compatible with smart phones, but there’s no guarantee that the public will be able to send text or images to 911 dispatch centers anytime soon.

via 911 slowly gets smart phone-savvy | Technology | NewsObserver.com.