Isaac.Eiland-Hall.com

First visitors step onto canyon skywalk – Yahoo! News

Quote: HUALAPAI INDIAN RESERVATION, Ariz. – Indian leaders and former astronauts stepped gingerly beyond the Grand Canyon’s rim Tuesday, staring through the glass floor and into the 4,000-foot chasm below during the opening ceremony for a new observation deck.

It’s open!

I’ve been hearing about this project off and on for at least a couple of years…

I’d like to go.

NBC 12 - Virginia News – Woman accused of robbing Richmond Subway—of cookies

Quote: “He was getting ready to pull away and the woman said, ‘Oh I forgot a cookie and I have to go back inside,’” said Cynthia Price of the Richmond Police Department.

The woman returned to the store and asked the clerk for some cookies. When he handed them over, she handed him a note demanding cash from the register and when he refused she took the cookies and ran.

We’ve got a real thinker here…... Oy.

At Least 2 Die In Car Hit By 2 Trains – Local/Florida News

Quote: “This particular person … tried to go against the odds and beat the train across the track,” Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office spokesman Ken Jefferson said. “They didn’t bank on two trains coming simultaneously across the track.”

Sad? Sure.

Stupid? You bet.

Dallas high school student sent to Haskell jail for being undocumented | pegasusnews.com

Quote: She has lived in Dallas with her family since she was 5-years-old.

She is a great example of the success and accomplishment of one inner city child who grew up in a very poor, but loving family here in inner city Dallas, Texas.

Do I like the idea of undocumented immigrants being here? As a concept, no. I think there are many potential problems.

But these people are…. people. Real people.

Have some of them broken laws? Sure! So have citizens…

It’s stories like this that are the reason I’m uncomfortable with the “deport all them bastards!” attitudes I see from so many…

Article: Water without hydrogen would warrant warnings (Louisville, KY Courier Journal)

Quote: David Karem, the Waterfront Development Corp.’s executive director, had the signs made to try to keep people out of the water after health officials raised concerns about bacteria in the fountains last year.

Karem said he was counting on a lack of understanding about water’s chemical makeup, and he thought that suggesting a link to one of the world’s most dangerous weapons—the hydrogen bomb—might keep them from jumping in.

Yeah…

I suppose that will keep most away.

Personally, if faced with that sign, although I know the chemical makeup of water, I would probably personally assume that the sign designer was an idiot, and that there was some valid problem with the water…

OTOH, I would also keep out if it simply said “Keep out”........... So this might work for those that don’t catch on, who otherwise would ignore a simple rule to refrain otherwise…

Rather droll, I suppose.

Link to Article: AP Wire | 05/30/2006 | Natchez hospital taking bids on helipad

Quote: NATCHEZ, Miss. – Adams County will take bids in June for construction of a helipad behind Natchez Regional Hospital.

Currently, helicopters transporting patients must land at the Natchez-Adams County Airport – 18 miles away – and transport by ambulance.

This is good news for the region. It’s a long ambulance ride from the airport to the hospital…

CNN to start live Net video service | ajc.com

Quote: One goal is to get people to use CNN Pipeline on their computers while at work, especially if they don’t have a TV nearby. Pipeline also is meant to have a much different feel than CNN or CNN Headline News. Among other things, CNN Pipeline will feature raw video — of the latest car chase, weather disaster or congressional hearing — with relatively little commentary from anchors.

Very interesting indeed.

If it works as well as it sounds, I hope it’s a success!

The 11-Year Quest to Create Disappearing Colored Bubbles – Popular Science

Quote: When Kehoe isn’t blowing bubbles for businessmen, he’s at home inventing again, coming up with new uses for the disappearing dye, the importance of which is hard to overstate.

No, really. Read the article. This will be MASSIVELY AWESOME STUFF.

If nothing else, go there and check out the pictures of the bubbles…

I want some of this stuff!

Kansas education board downplays evolution – Science – MSNBC.com

Quote: “This is a sad day. We’re becoming a laughingstock of not only the nation, but of the world, and I hate that,” said board member Janet Waugh, a Kansas City Democrat.

I feel your pain.

India offers to open cease-fire line for evacuees – South and Central Asia – MSNBC.com

Quote: MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan – In another sign of growing cooperation between South Asia’s nuclear rivals, India offered on Saturday to let Pakistani earthquake victims cross the cease-fire line in Kashmir to receive aid at three relief camps it was setting up.

Maybe, just maybe a little bit of good can come of this horrible disaster.

I’ve long wished Pakistan and India could work out their differences and get along peacefully as allies, rather than enemies… It’s such a shame that there have been so many problems over the years…

Here’s hoping good comes out of this huge tragedy…

Tropical Storm ALPHA Public Advisory

Quote: ...ALPHA BECOMES THE TWENTY-SECOND NAMED STORM OF THE SEASON AND BREAKS THE ALL-TIME RECORD FOR THE MOST ACTIVE SEASON ON RECORD…

And…......... we have TS Alpha.

(plethora of categories for this post because it is noteworthy/newsworthy, scary re: number of storms…....)

BBC NEWS | UK | Avian flu found in parrot in UK

Quote: A parrot that died in quarantine in the UK has tested positive for avian flu, the government has said.

Because the bird – imported from south America – was in quarantine, the UK’s disease-free status is not affected.

This is a topic that scares me… The bird flu has great potential to be a HUGE pandemic event, and I’m thinking chances are that it’s a matter of time, not so much a matter of chance…

The good news is that the bird was being imported into the UK - it wasn’t already there. The bad news is that the bird was from South America, which wasn’t (to my knowledge) on the list of places where we already knew the bird flu was…

Although that middle paragraph does give hope that maybe it’s a different strain—in which case, this story is really useless…

Still, all and all, rather disturbing, although I think this particular story only made news because of the media hype…

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Taiwan to ignore flu drug patent

I’m all for patents, but in the tech sector, I think it’s gotten out of hand… Of course, that has little to do with this issue, which is basically that Taiwan is creating unlicenced stocks of the anti-flu drug Tamiflu. But it’s not like they’re simply flaunting the patent:

Quote: Taiwan officials said they had applied for the right to copy the drug – but the priority was to protect the public.

Basically, they’re creating the stock now, and asking for permission while they’re doing it.

Sounds like a very reasonable decision to me.