MSNBC just announced that Jill Carroll has been released by her captors. Thank god. Update [2006-2-9 17:22:51 by susanhu]: (Well, it appears that MSNBC was wrong. That could have come from a wire service. Don’t know. CNN said only that a new video has been released. Sigh.)
And, please sign this easy form at HSUS on horse slaughter. Here’s the background story .. and it’s another prime example of how the executive branch is screwing the congressional branch:
In a hard-won battle last year, the American people convinced Congress to stop the use of tax dollars to promote horse slaughter. Now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the administrative agency charged with carrying out Congress’ will, is thumbing its nose at federal lawmakers and attempting to find a way around Congress’ directive to stop inspections for the cruel and un-American horse slaughter industry. USDA announced that it will bow to the foreign-owned industry’s request to create a whole new payment structure for horse slaughter inspections, an effort that directly undermines Congress’ mandate and the law.
Please tell USDA to stop bucking the will of Congress and implement the horse slaughter ban.
That is great news!
Yes! No details yet! Well, maybe I should switch to CNN because Dan is going on and on about the Entwhistle murders … the deaths are tragic and horrific. I just wish it weren’t almost always about pretty dead young white women.
According to every news source that I can find, including MSNBC, all that’s happened is the release of a new video from Feb. 2 showing Jill Carroll, making what sounds like a fairly desperate plea:
I wish there was better news to report, but I don’t think there is any, at least not as of now.
Some reason I thought this would happen.
Neil Entwistle?
Pathetic. As I said above, as horrific as these murders were — and quite unimaginable! (he shot that baby in the stomach so it probably died a slow, painful death) — these news networks are drawn to such stories like wasps to a light bulb. It’s disgusting, especially when tens of thousands of Iraqis and Afghanis, etc. are being killed every day. The wars in DR Congo and Sudan rage on … and are barely, if ever, covered.
[Repost, regretably. Post a new open thread while I’m writing a post to the old one, will ya? How fair is that? Kidding…]
I believe I have Susanhu’s monitor taken care of. She’s on a Mac, and a newer one at that, so that is good. My computer club is Mac. Today’s Macs just need any USB monitor, so that’s easy, it could come from anyone.
She clearly needs to do some maintenance on the machine itself, though, so anyone wanting to chip in funds still has a valid option. She’ll need to buy some software to do periodic “housecleaning” of the machine.
And then there’s the eyes thing — what $500-700 to get the appointment and glasses? She should have two sets of glasses, one for regular use, and one for reading at the comuter, whatever distance she usually sits from the computer. The last time I purchased, I was able to get a “deal” on the second set when purchased as a package. Oh, and with uglee frames, but what the hey.
If no one in my club has a monitor lurking around, one could be purchased here at RePC or similar, I’d be surprised if for more than $25 or $50. (I have several inquiries out now, including to two people who are fanatics about collecting used stuff and passing it on.)
She also needs some basic advice about maintaining her computer. I should be able to channel some of that her way. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a geek, I just play one… no, not even that, I’m a social activist. I just belong to the user’s group because my measly little $60/year saves me hundreds of dollars in consultants fees, and occasionally a hundred or two in purchasing advice.
Again, I’m a social activist, so look for a diary from this subject.
Someone e-mailed me back in the meantime and may have a monitor!
Thank you for the great idea about glasses … now that you mention that, that’s probably half my problem. I can’t see clearly on my monitor and I most definitely cannot see the fine print on my small-ish livingroom ancient TV (that works great though).
And, quite frankly, it’s worried me while driving.
Thank you so very much, LookingUp!
I’ll be AFK for a little bit … haev to eat and do a chore.
Susan, why don’t you look into tri-focals if appropriate? I’ve worn them for over 10 years now and when I go to the eye doctor I take measurements of how far from my glasses to a book and to the computer monitor. I tell them to set those lens as high as possible because it’s easy to lower my chin to see through the top section for distance, but much easier on my neck if the computer section is straight ahead. Because I was working in CAD for years, I was on a computer for many hours a day – now that I’m retired, I’m lurking here at Boo’s for almost as many hours. {g}
Once again, my computer club is a 10-year community for me. We have an online bulletin board that is VERY cool, little folders for different subjects, etc. One fellow from there was an optometrist in his other life. He was pretty darned clear that if you’re going to be doing a lot of work at the computer, the biggest favor you can do yourself is to get 2 pairs of glasses.
One is the mono-vision (term?) pair for just that one focal length — 2 feet or 3 feet or however far your vision usually is. I finally did this about a year or 2 ago, and the change is fantastic. I really paid only about an extra hundred bucks for the second set, you don’t even want to know what the first tri-focal (well, graduated focus) pair was.
Worth it a dozen times (gulp), because I see the screen so much better with them on.
Graduated focal lenses are something else – my husband had a pair and hated them – there was only a small area that was in focus at any given time and he was continually moving his head to read the screen. They were also much more expensive than regular tri-focal lenses. Others we know have eventually gotten used to them but usually switched back to bi-focals or tri-focals like mine. I find the tri-focals to be great – it’s like having three pair of glasses in one and not having to switch back and forth. As usual, it’s going to be a personal preference decision but I’d never want to fool around with two pair of glasses.
Yeah, uh, was that me that mailed you about a monitor? So many screen names, so little time… LOL! I just e’d you from that account to find out if it was me. Whee!
Boomanites (uhhhh), I do think it’s time to do the fundraising for glasses for Susanhu.
I even wrote a diary about the underlying issues. The barn-raising diary http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2006/2/9/185417/0868#2 .
That is really wonderful news. I was just home for lunch and they were showing a “new”(2/6)video of her saying time was running out. It must have happened right after that when I left to come back to the office. Thanks for letting us know.
Well, I switched to CNN and wasn’t really listening because I was typing an e-mail, but I got the impression from Wolf that it might not really be a done deal?
Did anyone hear all that Wolf reported? He said something about a new video? That worried me.
here
Are we sure she is free? I’m seeing a new tape of her was released.
Air America is reporting that she is still being held and that a new tape from Feb. 2 has been shown of her begging for us to do wahtever we have to to free her…
God, what a disappointment. It was breaking news on MSNBC, reported by Dan Abrams.
It may not be MSNBC’s fault … they could have gotten an initial bad report from a wire service. That happens sometimes in the rush to get news out.
Dammit all.
I finally saw a photo from the video before this….it was really devastating.