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SINCE 1994 and reaching more than 107,000 subscribers in over 200 countries, this is the 802nd weekly issue of... THIS is TRUE: 25 October 2009 Copyright http://www.thisistrue.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------- OLIVER TWISTED: Colton Harris-Moore, 18, is suspected in around 50 burglaries around the Seattle, Wash., metropolitan area in the last 18 months. He's also a fugitive after escaping from a halfway house after one of his many convictions. Whenever a burglary victim -- or the police -- spot him, Harris-Moore, who is typically barefoot, runs into the woods and disappears. He grew up in the woods, and apparently knows how to hide in them. Police are especially worried about a new crime trend, which they think is being committed by Harris-Moore: airplane theft. Several small planes have been taken in recent months from hangars, where investigators have found bare footprints; all the planes were found crash-landed. His mother, Pam Kohler, doesn't find much wrong with her boy's activities. In fact, considering he doesn't know how to fly a plane, he's doing pretty well, she says. "I hope to hell he stole those airplanes," she told a reporter. "I would be so proud. But put in there that I want him to wear a parachute next time." Locals seem to think the hoodlum is some sort of folk hero for avoiding capture, but police say they don't have the manpower to hunt him over a huge area for simple property crimes. (Seattle Times) ...Let's see what they all have to say when an empty plane crash-lands in a fireball at a school, while a barefooted felon hanging from a parachute watches. MR. BUMBLE LIVES: In 2002, attorney Constantine Xinos sued to prevent the building of a new public library in Oak Brook, Ill. The lawsuit failed, and he also lost his bid to be elected to the village board. But he's quite supportive of staff layoffs at the library due to budget shortfalls. During a public meeting, Sydney Sabbagha, 11, spoke against the cutbacks. "I used to go to the library knowing there were people there to help me find a book," the girl told the village board. "It will never be the same without the people you fired." Xinos, 69, spoke for the other side: "Those who come up here with tears in their eyes talking about the library, put your money where your mouth is," he fumed. He characterized the girl's remarks as "whining" punctuated by "crocodile tears," and said the town had to "stop indulging people in their hobbies" and "their little, personal, private wants." When asked later about his gruff treatment of an 11-year-old, Xinos -- who escorted a reporter into his gated community in his Mercedes for the interview -- confirmed he "wanted that kid to lose sleep that night." Xinos was successful in his previous bid to stop a city project: a senior housing complex. "I don't want to live next to poor people," he said at the time. "I don't want poor people in my town." (Arlington Heights Daily Herald) ...Funny, but Xinos sounds like one of the poorest people in the world. ----------==========**********O**********==========---------- AMAZON'S KINDLE: WAS $359, NOW $259 AND finally available outside USA ($279) Amazon's amazing second-generation electronic book reader, at its lowest price EVER. http://thisistrue.com/d-kindle ----------==========**********O**********==========---------- PLEASE SIR, I WANT SOME MORE: Brenda and Robert Vale, architects who specialize in sustainability, are professors at the Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. The title of their new book summarizes their latest thesis: "Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living". The Vales argue that a Toyota Land Cruiser and a medium-size dog have approximately equal "footprints" on the planet's ecology; a typical cat, they say, has an eco-footprint equivalent to a Volkswagen Golf automobile. "Once you see where cats and dogs fit in your overall balance of things," Mr. Vale said, "you might decide to have the cat but not also to have the two cars and the three bathrooms." (Timaru Herald) ...Hey, back off! One of those bathrooms is for the dog! FREAK OF NOMENCLATURE, LITERARY DIVISION: The Barnes & Noble bookseller chain wants to compete with Amazon.com's Kindle electronic book reader. The newly announced B&N device is called the Nook eBook Reader. (Wall Street Journal) ...And really, no one on the development team said the name out loud before launch? HOLD YOUR TONGUE! "Man Accused of Biting Neighbor on the Mouth" -- Macomb (Ga.) Daily headline DID YOU FIND an error? See http://www.thisistrue.com/errata.html THE REST OF this issue included FIVE more stories: Man puts rifle barrel in mouth and pulls the trigger to see if it's loaded (it is) -- yet police call it an "accident". Jittery convenience store clerks put money in bag and throw it at man -- but he's not a robber. Man "shopping for costume" days before Halloween -- but that doesn't explain why he stole women's panties and fishnet stockings, nor why he put them on before leaving the store. Man arrested for drunk driving -- in a motorized La-Z-Boy lounge chair. City Council candidate says his cat is his campaign manager -- which is why he spent campaign funds on cat food. You can still read ALL of these stories -- just ask for your upgrade to start with the 25 October issue. A full year of expanded issues is STILL just $24: http://thisistrue.com/upgrade.html THIS ISSUE IS LATE -- as I announced last week. Lyris, the company that distributes TRUE, spent the weekend moving my server. While the weekend is great for most users, it hits right when TRUE is going out, but such is life. More than 2,500 people took me up on my suggestion last week to change their subscription to a mirrored list on another host so they wouldn't get theirs late, and they got it Friday. Ideally, you'll still do that too: just go to TRUE's web site -- http://www.thisistrue.com -- and subscribe again to avoid any future problems. When you confirm your subscription (check your mail), I'll delete you from the Lyris list. Easy! While I'll keep running on Lyris for some time, the new provider allows some extra features that I'll announce next year. Just go to the TRUE web site and subscribe again. Thanks! o o o THERE WAS AN ASTOUNDING response to the letter I got from Premium subscriber Nancy in Illinois who thought my saying "Scream like a little girl!" in my recent ZT editorial was "sexist language" -- and most of it came during the week, which means it was mostly from Premium edition readers. In fact, I lamented in one comment response, more people had more to say about this spectacularly tiny controversy than they did about a 6-year-old child's spirit being crushed by the people his community pays to educate him. By Saturday there were 99 comments, and they were starting to get repetitive; I didn't think there was much else that could be said, so I stopped accepting comments at the blog (at http://www.thisistrue.com/blog-noblesse_oblige.html if you missed it. http://ThisIsTrue.com/d-zt-nyt has the original ZT editorial.) So of course those who truly wanted to rant switched to e-mail to do it. One of the most notable was Christine in Rhode Island: "After many years of enjoying the free edition of This is True, and a firm (if somewhat useless at the moment) intention to upgrade once I am employed again, I have instead unsubscribed. This is due to your dismissal of the 'scream like a little girl'. Way to belittle and dismiss. Do you not understand that 'little things' such as acceptance and defense of sexist language are the foundation of the big things, without which the big things cannot stand, or do you just not care? I am severely disappointed in you and your response, and will thus not be sending you a penny of my money, nor an ounce of my email space. I honestly thought you were better than that. I am disappointed to discover that you are not. I am further disappointed by my suspicion that losing my subscription will not matter one bit to you, and in fact may become fodder for further dismissal. However, as I said previously, some things I simply cannot let stand, and this is one of them. Useless gesture or not, I must still make the gesture, and make clear why I remove my support." She went on and on -- this is just a bit of the flavor. At the risk of being accused of using this as "fodder for further dismissal," what, EXACTLY, did I say in response to Nancy? That "Nancy successfully avoided the knee-jerk reaction of 'I've read you for 10 years, and thought you were wonderful, but now that I see one thing I disagree with, I've come to understand you're scum and I quit.' -- which so, SO many people have done in the past." (Just like Christine has now done!) And, I concluded, "So that leaves the question: is this a case of my being insensitive, or Nancy being overly sensitive, even 'politically correct'? ... Since she did me the favor of not knee-jerking her reaction, I'm returning the favor by asking for feedback -- I'd be interested in what you think: comments are open below so we can get a discussion going." So yes, Christine took my "let's discuss this in an open forum" as "belittling and dismissing" of Nancy's complaint. Which leaves a question: Nancy herself was not one of those 99 people who commented. She caught up with her reading on Sunday, after I closed comments out, so she had to resort to e-mail too. What a contrast: what did SHE think of the discussion? I'll necessarily trim her comments to the essence, too: "An unusual week kept me from reading both Premium and regular 'This is True' until today, when I was startled to find I had ignited a firestorm. I don't much care what your readers think of me, but I have too long admired 'This is True' -- and you -- to let stand even a possibility that you might regard me as a hypersensitive PC ranter. (Your own responses, as civil and rational as I tried to make my own comments, suggest you don't, but still....) OK, I should not have mentioned Kit at all. Sorry for raising any eyebrows. I also should have left out my annoyance about portrayed TV crime victims. It remains a pet peeve, but admittedly was not directly relevant. [Blog commenter] Kim from Sapulpa OK expressed it well: 'The problem is not that we are different. The problem is that people try to make out the fact that we ARE different as a bad thing.' Though I wrote 'Scream like a little girl' was offensive phrasing, please note I never claimed to have been offended. That's a point of pride -- you plainly meant no offense, so I took none. I am well-nigh impossible to offend! Keep up your sterling publication, Randy. I still disagree with your phrase, but thoroughly respect how fairly you argue your position. Thank you, sir." Obviously, Nancy doesn't feel "belittled and dismissed," but rather respected and treated fairly -- which is how I meant to treat her. Sure there are people who treat differences (in the sexes, in races, in cultures, etc.) as a bad thing, and I agree that's thoughtless and (yes) a "bad thing". And I assured Nancy I don't think of her as a "hypersensitive PC ranter" (perish the thought!) Truly, I wanted an open discussion, and while there was no real conclusion, there are some *profound* comments on each side of the argument. To me, that's a fantastic success, even though Christine, and people like her, chose instead to plug their ears and run away screaming. How very sad and tiny their worlds must be. o o o AND AMONG THE LATEST postings to Jumbo Joke: Wally World Caskets (photo/ screenshot). http://www.JumboJoke.com ----------==========**********O**********==========---------- THE HOLLYWOOD ANTI-AGING SECRET Try it for a month for free! Dermatologists are hailing it as the most potent needle-free skin care treatment available. Studies have shown it prevents "cell damage linked to facial aging and wrinkles." And best of all you can try it 100% free for a full month! http://ThisIsTrue.com/d-southbeach ----------==========**********O**********==========---------- TOP ON GROXX today: "Burglars 'Disguise' Themselves with Permanent Marker" -- their mug shots are priceless! Submit stories and vote on what submissions are best, register for free at http://Groxx.com TEN YEARS AGO IN TRUE: CBS comes up with exciting new reality TV series, "Survivor": http://thisistrue.com/6723 (Be sure to click on the next story, too, about Fox's response to the idea.) And don't forget http://i.thisistrue.com for a new story every day on your iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, or other web-enabled phone! BONZER WEB SITE OF THE WEEK: http://xkcd.com -- xkcd. The artwork makes "Dilbert" look like a masterpiece. But the content? Spectacular. xkcd is an online comic. The unpronounceable title doesn't mean anything; author Randall Munroe, who formerly worked at NASA, uses his geeky eye to look at love and life -- especially online or geeky life. Frequently the joke relies on advanced knowledge of mathematics, programming languages, or unix-based computers, and if you get the joke, you'll probably laugh. And enough do that he and his roommate make a living from it. The comic's attitude is well summarized by the "Warning" that appears on each page: "Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)." Tip: "hover" your mouse over each comic (including the sample in the Bonzer archive) for a pop-up extra joke or inside comment. (RC) -- Bonzer Sites archive: http://www.BonzerSites.com THIS WEEK'S HONORARY UNSUBSCRIBE goes to Ted Sizer, who decried schools' "standardized testing" and creation of "docile minds" when they SHOULD be about "learning to use one's mind well." For the full story see http://www.HonoraryUnsubscribe.com/ted_sizer.html NOTE: The full Honorary Unsubscribe is included in the Premium edition -- you don't have to click to a web site to read it. Support the publication that brings it to you! http://thisistrue.com/upgrade.html HONORARY SUBSCRIBE ARCHIVE: http://www.HonoraryUnsubscribe.com YOU CAN REALLY HELP TRUE: Send this issue (in its entirety, please) to a friend with your personal recommendation. A friend told YOU about this newsletter, right? Pass the favor on! Thanks. IF YOU LIKE TRUE's HONORARY UNSUBSCRIBE, see http://www.HeroicStories.com for TRUE's sister publication, an H.U. spinoff about cool people that *don't* have to die to get their stories told! Free subscriptions. TIRED OF BEING TOLD WHERE TO GO? "Get Out of Hell Free" with our popular and (in?)famous cards, created in response to a reader telling Randy he was doomed. http://www.GOOHF.com SUBSCRIPTIONS to "This is True" are free at http://www.thisistrue.com Published weekly by ThisIsTrue.Inc, PO Box 666, Ridgway CO 81432 USA (ISSN 1521-1932). TRUE is available to newspapers as a regular feature column. "This is True" is a registered trademark of ThisIsTrue.Inc COPYRIGHT 2009 by Randy Cassingham, All Rights Reserved. All stories are completely rewritten by Randy Cassingham using facts from the noted sources. ALL broadcast, publication, retransmission to e-mail lists, WWW or any other copying or storage, in any medium, online or not, is STRICTLY PROHIBITED without PRIOR written permission from the author. MANUAL FORWARDING by e-mail to friends is allowed IF 1) the text is forwarded IN ITS ENTIRETY, from the "Since 1994" line on top through the end of this paragraph and 2) NO FEE is charged. We REQUEST that you forward no more than three copies to any one person -- after that, they should get their own FREE subscription. We ALWAYS appreciate people who report violations of our copyright to us. TO COMMENT to the author, see http://www.thisistrue.com/contact.html -- Please include
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