here are few television personalities more insufferably pompous and obnoxious than NBC’s Chris Hansen, who despite having earned several awards in journalism, has now been reduced to impersonating a reporter for the newsmagazine, Dateline. Hansen is the point-man for Dateline’s continuing series “To Catch a Predator,” a sting operation on which the show collaborates with the watchdog group Perverted Justice and law enforcement in numerous jurisdictions across the United States. The hidden camera investigation ensnares pedophile suspects red-handed using a coordinated effort that begins with internet chats between a “decoy” posing as a minor and a suspect and ends with police arresting the suspect. It’s a laudable cause.

Therefore, it’s a shame that Hansen and NBC continuously use Dateline to exploit and sensationalize a newsworthy issue for the purpose of generating Nielsen ratings, while mocking the concept of integrity along the way. Each week Dateline exposes an alarming number of creepy (almost exclusively) men, from all demographics, engaging in inappropriate sexual conversations with a Perverted Justice decoy, who the suspects believe is an underage boy or girl. Suspects unknowingly wander into the trap, a house rigged with hidden cameras, police hiding out in the back yard, an adult actor hired by Dateline (who appears to be underage) and the always overzealous Chris Hansen, who is none too shy about injecting himself into the middle of the lurid story.

What transpires next is an exhaustingly perverse scenario. The actor typically invites suspects into the house for a drink, or something equally arbitrary, engages them in small talk and even sometimes asks the suspects to completely disrobe. Meanwhile, in gleeful voice-overs, Hansen apprises viewers of the suspects’ full names, professions, hometowns, marital status and the number of children they may have. Hansen wreaks destruction on the families of the assailants and does so shamelessly, with the tone and enthusiasm of a stand-up comedian, not a newsman.

To Catch a Journalist Impostor

The 2007 Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference (GAREC-07) is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, August 16-17 in Huntsville, Alabama. GAREC-07 registrants will participate in emergency communications-themed presentations, discussions and demonstrations. The conference will be held just before the 2007 ARRL National Convention and annual Huntsville Hamfest, which take place on Saturday and Sunday, August 18-19.

In 2005, current IARU Region 1 Emergency Communications Coordinator Seppo Sisatto, OH1VR, organized the first GAREC meeting in Tampere, Finland. Tampere was the site of an intergovernmental conference where the Tampere Convention was adopted -- an international treaty that facilitates the use of telecommunications in humanitarian assistance. In 2006, GAREC met in Tampere for the second time, in connection with the International Conference on Emergency Communications (ICEC-2006) and the United Nations Working Group on Emergency Telecommunications.

According to IARU International Coordinator for Emergency Communications Hans Zimmermann, F5VKP/HB9AQS, "…GAREC wants to be a forum for the exchange of information. Many IARU Member Societies and specialized emergency communications groups have developed and implemented emergency concepts. Many others want to benefit from their technical, operational and, not the least, their administrative or even 'political' experiences when establishing the necessary cooperation with partners in emergency and disaster response. GAREC also developed new concepts, such as the 'Center of Activity Frequencies,' meanwhile adopted by the IARU Region 1 and 3 conferences."

The packed GAREC-07 agenda includes reviews of advanced digital technologies and their applications to emergency telecommunications. The ARRL Alabama Section, Zimmerman said, "leads the way" with respect to D-STAR repeater systems, activities and users. There will also be a demonstration of the Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS), another capability of the Amateur Radio Services. Zimmerman noted, "A demonstration of [APRS'] capabilities found much interest among the delegates of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Turkey last November."

Zimmerman added that EchoLink and eQSO are "yet more such tools, and specialized groups have developed emergency applications for these modes. More technologies are being developed or have become available already. The two days in August will be packed with practical information, and experts will arrange demonstrations of the capabilities of 21st century Amateur Radio!" Emergency communication vehicles and equipment will be on hand throughout the conference.

Huntsville to Host Global EmComm Conference in August

What's hotter than the Fourth of July? The first annual Hot Chicken Festival in East Park on July 4 followed by the annual Independence Day Celebration and Fireworks at Riverfront Park. The hot chicken festivities will be from noon to 2 pm on Woodland Street in East Nashville and the Let Freedom Sing entertainment will begin at 4 pm downtown on the west bank of the Cumberland River.

YUM! I like it hot! Free samples to the first 400 people...!

Hot Chicken Contest on the 4th

The Senate subpoenaed the White House and Vice President Dick Cheney's office Wednesday, demanding documents and elevating the confrontation with President Bush over the administration's warrant-free eavesdropping on Americans.

Separately, the Senate Judiciary Committee also is summoning Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to discuss the program and an array of other matters that have cost a half-dozen top Justice Department officials their jobs, committee chairman Patrick Leahy announced.

Leahy, D-Vt., raised questions about previous testimony by one of Bush's appeals court nominees and said he wouldn't let such matters pass.

"If there have been lies told to us, we'll refer it to the Department of Justice and the U.S. attorney for whatever legal action they think is appropriate," Leahy told reporters. He did just that Wednesday, referring questions about testimony by former White House aide Brett Kavanaugh, who now sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

The escalation is part of the Democrats' effort to hold the administration to account for the way it has conducted the war on terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The subpoenas extend the probe into the private sector, demanding among other things documents on any agreements that telecommunications companies made to cooperate with the surveillance program.

Too bad we forgot what "tricky dick" did and let this *&^ get away with ... well ... everything...

Spy vs Spy @ Home

A spokeswoman for a Louisville amusement park said one person was injured Thursday during a ride at the park.

Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom spokeswoman Wendy Goldberg said the accident happened around 4:45 p.m. on the Superman Tower of Power.

Goldberg said the extent of the injury was unknown.

WAVE-3 television in Louisville reported the victim was a 13-year-old girl whose legs were severed during the ride.

The ride takes passengers straight up 177 feet before a free-fall of 154 feet, reaching a speed of 54 mph.

Goldberg said it's unclear at what point during the ride the person was injured.

The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Louisville EMS said it could not comment on the extent of the person's injuries due to privacy laws

Someone said a cable snapped and hooked her legs. But this seems odd as that everyone else was ok... What was this cable?

Looks like the media has her age from 12 to 16...

Rider Seriously Injured At Ky. Kingdom

Americans overwhelmingly approve of legislation to prevent hate violence. In fact, three in four (or 68%) support expanding hate crimes laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity and giving local law enforcement the tools and resources they need to investigate and prosecute these tragic acts of bigotry.

I am confident that you will champion the will of voters in your community and the majority of Americans, and bring our federal hate crime laws into the 21st Century, by ensuring that all of our citizens are protected against senseless hate violence.

While a random act of violence against any individual is always a tragic event, we know that violent crimes based on prejudice are meant to terrorize an entire community.

As Americans, we must defend our neighbors from becoming victims of bias-motivated violence.

So get out there and send a message.
I am not gay or part of any alternative lifestyle but there is no place for violence in our country even if you think what someone else is doing is wrong. There are other ways to express your views and violence is not the way.

More info here... http://www.hrc.org/

Pass the Matthew Shepard Act...

Thousands of Ham Radio operators will be showing off
their emergency capabilities on June 23rd and 24th. Over the past
year, the news has been full of reports of ham radio operators
providing critical communications in emergencies world-wide. During
Hurricane Katrina, Amateur Radio often called Ham radio - was often
the ONLY way people could communicate, and hundreds of volunteer hams traveled south to save lives and property. When trouble is brewing, ham radio people are often the first to provide critical information and communications. On the weekend of Jun 23rd and 24th, the public will have a chance to meet and talk with these ham radio operators and see for themselves what the Amateur Radio Service is about. Showing the newest digital and satellite capabilities, voice communications and even historical Morse code, hams from across the USA will be holding public demonstrations of emergency communications abilities.

This annual event, called "Field Day" is the climax of the week
long "Amateur Radio Week" sponsored by the ARRL, the National
Association for Amateur Radio. Using only emergency power supplies,
ham operators will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping
malls, schools and back yards around the country. Their slogan, "When all else fails" is more than just words to the hams as they prove they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in acrisis. More than 30,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year's event.

"We hope that people will come and see for themselves, this is not your grandfather's radio anymore," said Allen Pitts of the ARRL. "The communications networks that ham radio people can quickly create have saved many lives in the past months when other systems failed or were overloaded.

In the Coffee County area, the Middle Tennessee Amateur Radio
Society will be demonstrating Amateur Radio at Old Stone Fort State
Archaeological Park, on June 23rd and 24th, 2007. They invite the
public to come and see ham radio's capabilities and learn how to get
their own FCC radio license before the next disaster strikes.

There are 660,000 Amateur Radio operators in the US, and more than 2.5 million around the world.

Through the ARRL, ham volunteers provide emergency communications for the DHS Citizens' Corps, the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, FEMA and thousands of state and local agencies, all for free.

To learn more about Amateur Radio, go to www.emergency-radio.org.
The public is most cordially invited to come, meet and talk with the
hams. See what modern Amateur Radio can do. They can even help you get on the air!

Presenting Organization

Name - MTARS (Middle Tennessee Amateur Radio Society)
Contact Name - Gavin Groce KE4TVV
Phone - N/A

Venue

Old Stone Fort State Park
732 Stone Fort Drive
Manchester, TN 37355

Start Date - 6/23/07
End Date - 6/24/07
Times - Setup 11AM SAT, OPS 1PM Sat to 1PM Sun, (24hrs)

Field Day: Middle Tennessee Amateur Radio Society

Here’s something a little more light for a Friday afternoon, but demonstrates the mainstream media’s biased view of the world.

Among the "Quick Hits" on CNN’s "American Morning" on Friday was a brief on how the drought in the Southeast is affecting the production of Jack Daniels Tennessee whiskey in Lynchburg, Tennessee. The water levels in the cave spring that supplies the Jack Daniels distillery are "dangerously low" according to the brief by co-host John Roberts.

After giving the brief, Roberts and substitute weather forecaster Reynolds Wolf began the weather report with the following exchange:

Video (0:25): Real (694 kB) or Windows (783 kB), plus MP3 audio (127 kB).

JOHN ROBERTS: "Reynolds Wolf is here with a look at the weather forecast, and somebody said to me this morning that that will get Southern conservatives interested in global warming." (Laughs)

REYNOLDS WOLF: "There's no question about it. Absolutely."

I guess the "secret" is out that left-wing media thinks that Southerners are a bunch of hillbilly drunks, and don’t care about climate change like "enlightened" liberals do.

Yee Haw... LOL! (I am an "enlightened" liberal.)

CNN’s ‘Quick Hit’ on ‘Southern Conservatives’

Drought conditions can be felt all over the country and locally as well. The drought is also impacting Tennessee, with no signs of letting up and it’s hitting businesses right where they make their living.

Jack Daniels water supply is running low and putting the century-plus whiskey business in jeopardy.

Jerry Hamilton is the distillery plant manager for Jack Daniels. He checks the progress of the whiskey being made at the Lynchburg distillery. While doing so he finds a small problem - wasting water.

The water here has become a precious commodity. The water source for the whiskey is a spring flowing through the Jack Daniels property. For more than 140 years this spring, known as Cave Spring, has been the water supply for Jack Daniels. It is one of the most essential parts of the whiskey’s recipie.

“Cave Spring as most people know is iron free and because it is iron free, it tends to schew the firmentation just a little bit and allows us to produce Jack Daniels as we know Jack Daniels,” Hamilton explained.

But this year there is a problem - that water supply is starting to flow less and less. Hamilton said the drought Tennessee is in is taking a toll on Cave Spring.

“Water flow is down substantially. I would say at least one third to half of what we normally see,” Hamilton said.

To the people who make Jack Daniels, all water is not created equal. It takes a special kind to make this whiskey and they say it’s only here in this cave. For that reason they have started conserving as much as they can. Using the water only for the whiskey and nothing else and even finding ways to cut back on the amount used in the process.

What will happen if the spring goes dry?

“If we can’t use what it takes to make Jack Daniels I suspect we won’t make Jack Daniles until we get all the ingredients we need,” Hamilton said.

Moore County ironically it is a dry county. You can’t buy a drink here, but if this drought continues that term “dry” could take on a whole new meaning.

I am living out in this area right now and it is so dry. The lake level at Tims Ford is almost too low to pump drinking water for the city of Winchester and Normandy lake is also getting into the red out at the Fire Lake pumping station.

Looks like the rain that we get in June is just not coming....

Is Jack Daniels Drying Up?

A cheap, highly addictive drug known as "cheese heroin" has killed 21 teenagers in the Dallas area over the past two years, and authorities say they are hoping they can stop the fad before it spreads across the nation.

"Cheese heroin" is a blend of so-called black tar Mexican heroin and crushed over-the-counter medications that contain the antihistamine diphenhydramine, found in products such as Tylenol PM, police say. The sedative effects of the heroin and the nighttime sleep aids make for a deadly brew.

"A double whammy -- you're getting two downers at once," says Dallas police detective Monty Moncibais. "If you take the body and you start slowing everything down, everything inside your body, eventually you're going to slow down the heart until it stops and, when it stops, you're dead." (Audio slide show: A father describes his teen son's death)

Steve Robertson, a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration in Washington, says authorities are closely monitoring the use of "cheese" in Dallas.

Trying to keep the drug from spreading to other cities, the DEA is working with Dallas officials to raise public awareness about the problem. Authorities also are trying to identify the traffickers, Robertson says.

"We are concerned about any drug trend that is new because we want to stop it," he says.

Why should a parent outside Dallas care about what's happening there?

Robertson says it's simple: The ease of communication via the Internet and cell phones allows a drug trend to spread rapidly across the country.

"A parent in New York should be very concerned about a drug trend in Dallas, a drug trend in Kansas City, a drug trend anywhere throughout the United States," he says.
Middle schoolers acknowledge 'cheese'

"Cheese" is not only dangerous. It's cheap. About $2 for a single hit and as little as $10 per gram. The drug can be snorted with a straw or through a ballpoint pen, authorities say. It causes drowsiness and lethargy, as well as euphoria, excessive thirst and disorientation. That is, if the user survives. (Interactive: What is "cheese"? )

Authorities aren't exactly sure how the drug got its name "cheese." It's most likely because the ground-up, tan substance looks like Parmesan cheese. The other theory is it's shorthand for the Spanish word "chiva," which is street slang for heroin.

By using the name "cheese," drug dealers are marketing the low-grade heroin to a younger crowd -- many of them middle schoolers -- unaware of its potential dangers, authorities say.

"These are street dealers, dope dealers," Moncibais recently warned students at Sam Tasby Middle School. "They give you a lethal dose. What do they care?"

Moncibais then asked how many students knew a "cheese" user. Just about everyone in the auditorium raised a hand. At one point, when he mentioned that the United States has the highest rate of drug users in the world, the middle s... [ Read More (0.3k in body) ]

Deadly $2 heroin�targets teens...